


Be the Very Best (Like No Hero Ever Was)

by chibistarlyte, ladyoakenshields



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Angst, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, Character Development, Child Abuse, Childhood, Cute Midoriya Izuku, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Midoriya Inko, Growing Up, Insecure Kirishima Eijirou, Kirishima Eijirou Has Two Moms, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Training, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Self Confidence Issues, Slow Burn, Supportive Midoriya Inko, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Shouto Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26384047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chibistarlyte/pseuds/chibistarlyte, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyoakenshields/pseuds/ladyoakenshields
Summary: “Who’s your friend here?” Inko asked as she carded her fingers through Izuku’s unruly curls.With a small hiccup, Izuku sucked in a breath. “I...she came up to me in the park, a-and she...followed me home,” he told her, his voice nasally from all the crying.Inko hummed, and Izuku could feel the vibrations of the noise through her chest. “It seems like she wants to stay with you, Izuku,” she said and Izuku heard the smile in her voice.He looked up at his mother in surprise, a few stray tears falling from widened green eyes. “You...you’d let me keep her?”Inko smiled lovingly at her son. “Of course. It’s not every day a Pokémon chooses its trainer.”Midoriya Izuku learns that, without a Quirk and with his Pokémon partner by his side, he can become a hero.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 453





	1. Midoriya Izuku: Origin

**Author's Note:**

> **Ally (chibistarlyte):** Ohhhhh my god oh my god guys. GUYS. It's here. It's finally here. Sometime last year, Kat and I had tossed around the idea of a Pokémon AU for BNHA (haha, yeah, maybe we'll write a small little something for it someday!). And somehow, it evovled into...a massive project that we started working on during NaNo last year. At this point, we have the entire fic planned out and about 40k words actually written. But, I wanted to get at least the introductory chapters posted before this year's NaNo to kind of use as motivation to keep writing. This is definitely the longest project I've ever undertaken, and I'm so happy and thankful to have such a wonderful writing partner to share this with. I hope you all enjoy this first chapter, and tune back for more!
> 
> If you'd like, come find me on tumblr [@chibistarlyte](https://chibistarlyte.tumblr.com/)!
> 
>  **Kat (sunshineijirou):** I'VE DRAGGED ALLY INTO A MASSIVE MULTICHAPTERED PROJECT MUHAHAHA. I'm so excited for this fic, it's been an idea I've loved forever and we're actually able to pull this off with Ally's incredible knowledge of Pokemon and my...tendency to write massive multi-chaptered fics? Write an abundance of fluff? I'm excited to work on this for another upcoming Nano season as well~ It's been 10000x more fun to participate in Nano with a co-author ;D I hope everyone enjoys this as much as we enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> Find me at my BNHA sideblog on tumblr [sunshineijirou!](https://sunshineijirou.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  **EDIT 9/23/2020:** We've also added some art in this chapter! The drawing was done by Ally and the coloring done by Kat!

Fat tears streamed down the green-haired child’s face, dripping down his cheeks and flowing off his rounded chin like waterfalls. They splattered to the ground, leaving a tiny wet trail along the dirt path he was limping down.

“Kacchan...wait for me…” Midoriya Izuku cried out uselessly, trying to hurry his bruised leg into cooperating with him. He wiped at his tears with a tightly-balled fist, trying to get them to stop. But he had always been an easy crier, often overcome with emotions too intense for his little body to contain. So they came out in the form of salty liquid leaking from his eyes.

Unfortunately, that was what got him into his current mess. Kacchan had been showing off his Quirk again—which was an easy thing to do; it was quite the flashy Quirk, being of the explosion variety and all—and accidentally caught Izuku in one of the blasts. Izuku had flown backward and crashed to the ground, much to the amusement of the group of kids he called his friends.

“Useless Deku,” Kacchan had said with a chiding laugh, putting his hands on his hips and standing triumphantly like a hero would, though his actions had been less than heroic. “Useless, _Quirkless_ Deku.”

His friends had gone on ahead, so far ahead that Izuku couldn’t even hear their laughter anymore up the path. So he just kept limping along, hoping to catch up to them at some point but doubtful that he would. As soon as the path led back around to the main area of the park, maybe he should just go home for the day…

He would never catch up to Kacchan. Not like this.

Izuku stopped in his tracks, glaring at the ground with watery green eyes. He sniffed back any new tears that threatened to fall, clenching his small fists at his sides. It wasn’t his fault that he was Quirkless. 

The youth fell to his already bruised knees, letting out a quiet sob and letting his tears wet the dirt below once more.

A skittering noise in the bushes along the path tore his attention away from the ground. Fear prickled at his nerve endings when he heard the noise again, this time louder.

Was it a wild Pokémon? A person?

“H-hello?” Izuku called out meekly, wide eyes watching as leaves in the underbrush rustled with movement from behind. He was about to back away slowly and continue down the path when he saw a patch of beige, cottony fur poke out from the bush.

Izuku’s heart picked up in double time. _Oh, gosh, what if it was something dangerous?_

Or worse... _what if it was a Bidoof?_

Relief flooded through Izuku when the unknown Pokémon poked its head out of the bush and looked at him with small, beady black eyes.

It was just a Buneary. As long as he didn’t provoke her in some way, she probably wouldn’t attack him…

Izuku held his hands up in a defensive position. “Hi...I’m not gonna bother you, don’t worry,” he tried to assure the rabbit Pokémon. Slowly he shifted from his knees to sit on his rear, ensuring that he made no sudden movements. According to some of his Pokémon encyclopedias, one swing from a Buneary’s powerful ears could knock a grown person unconscious.

The Buneary slowly emerged from the foliage, her little nose moving up and down as she sniffed the air. She continued to watch Izuku as if determining his threat level.

Giving the Pokémon a watery smile that started his tears up again, Izuku shook his head. “I won’t hurt you,” he said with a wavering voice, then let out a small laugh despite himself. “I think you’d hurt me worse than I’d hurt you, to be honest.” He let out a small hiccup and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands, trying to squeeze all his tears out.

When he dropped his hands from his face, he almost yelped in shock seeing Buneary’s face right in front of his.

Buneary leaned further forward, sniffing the trail of Izuku’s tears on his freckled cheek. Izuku sat still, afraid to move for fear of getting pummeled.

"U-um...nice bunny…" Izuku said, still not moving. He tried to avert his eyes, since making direct eye contact with a wild Pokémon had a good chance of provoking it. But this Buneary didn't seem to be living up to the typical behavior of her species, and she continued to check Izuku out via sniffs and sight, looking over what seemed like every inch of him like she had never come across a human before. 

Then, in a surprise turn of events, Buneary raised her paw and patted Izuku's cheek as if to dry his tears.

"Wh-what…"

"Bun bun!" the Pokémon suddenly said, smiling at Izuku.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile back at the Pokémon. "What?" he asked again, as if she could answer him clearly. 

"Bun, Buneary!" she replied, taking both of her paws and placing them on Izuku’s cheeks. She then smooshed his face together, making his mouth open like a Magikarp’s.

Izuku let out a small laugh, not as tearful as before. "You want me to stop crying?"

"Bun!"

"Well, okay, I guess I have to now."

Buneary seemed happy with Izuku's agreement to cease all tears and nodded almost solemnly, lightly smacking his cheeks before skittering back into the bushes.

 _Well. That was a strange experience. But a pleasant one._

Pleasant enough that Izuku continued to smile even though he was left alone once again. He wiped the remainder of his tears away with the heel of his hand and hoisted himself up off the ground. 

He should probably get home. Who knew what time it was, or where Kacchan and their friends had gotten to?

Izuku continued up the path, keeping an eye out for his friends. He was almost back to the main area of the park when a sudden blow hit his back, sending him sprawling to the ground face-first. There was a weight on his back where he’d been hit, though not heavy enough to hurt.

“Kacchan, if that’s you, I swear—” Izuku muttered into the dirt, spitting out the dust from his mouth.

“Bun bun!”

Izuku’s head shot up. 

The Pokémon jumped off Izuku’s back and hopped in front of him, her paws reaching for his face and squishing his cheeks again.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Izuku said through his squished cheeks, his words almost incomprehensible. Buneary then hopped onto his back again and he felt a paw patting at his wild green curls, over and over, like a person would pat their pet on the head.

“Okay, this has been fun, but get off me, please? I need to get home,” Izuku told the Pokémon, already starting to push himself up to his knees. Buneary grabbed onto Izuku’s shoulders for balance as he stood. Even when he was back on his feet, she still clung to him as an impromptu piggy-back rider.

Izuku sighed.

“Alright, I guess you can stay with me for now...but when I get to the park entrance, you need to go, okay?”

Buneary ignored his words and jumped atop his head. Izuku’s neck almost buckled at the sudden added weight it had to support. He reached his small hands up and tried to grab Buneary around the torso, but failed to do so and instead made the Pokémon leap off his head and onto the dirt path at his feet.

Buneary stared up at him with her little black eyes and tilted her head, one ear flopping to the side.

“I don’t know what you want from me!” Izuku cried at the Pokémon, very nearly throwing his hands up in exasperation. Instead, he tugged at his curls with a somewhat frustrated pout. When the Buneary did nothing but continue to stare at him inquisitively, Izuku gave up with a sigh and resumed walking. It surely must be getting late, now, and he really needed to get home.

The Buneary trailed along behind him, interjecting every once and a while with a little “Bun bun!” or some squeaks here and there. She kept up pace with Izuku well enough, sometimes even skittering ahead of him to stop and stare at him as he caught up.

When they reached the entrance to the park, Izuku turned to face his Pokémon stalker and held his little index finger out, pointing at her like a parent scolding their child.

“You can’t follow me home,” Izuku said sternly. “You have to stay here, okay?”

“Bun bun!”

“You understand, right?”

“Bun bun!”

“...Okay.” Izuku backed away slowly, hands raised. “ _Staaaaaaaay_...stay.” Surprisingly, the Buneary complied with his command, staying in place while watching him back away. 

“Good…” Izuku sighed in relief, deciding he was probably safe enough to turn around and begin his trek back home. Luckily his apartment building was close by, so it wouldn’t take him long to get home.

He was about halfway up the stairs to the third floor when he felt something tug at his pants. He stopped in his tracks and looked down to see if maybe the fabric had gotten caught on something.

But no, there was a brown paw hanging onto his pant leg.

“What?!” Izuku cried out, scaring the Buneary back down a couple of stairs. “You followed me all the way here?! Why?!” he yelled his little heart out, tears already welling up in his eyes. “I'm just a useless, Quirkless nobody! You can find someone who's loads better than me! Like Kacchan! He has an amazing Quirk, and he's gonna be a great hero like All Might and I...I...” By now he was full-on crying, more fat tears running down his face and soaking the concrete step beneath his sneakers. 

Izuku allowed himself to fall to a sit on the step, his hands covering his face, tears and snot leaking through his dirty fingers. 

Buneary slowly crept up the couple stairs that she'd fled down in surprise, approaching the crying child with the same trepidation that Izuku had earlier. She placed both of her paws on Izuku’s bruised knees and leaned up close to his hidden face, nudging his shaking fingers with her wet nose.

“Buuuun…”

Peeking through his fingers, Izuku was surprised to see the Pokémon’s efforts to...what, comfort him? 

“I'm not worth it...I'm not worth it…” he tried to tell Buneary, his voice watery and cracking with every syllable.

“Izuku? Are you down here?” he heard his mother’s voice call from further up the stairs. “I heard crying…”

Izuku’s head shot up and his eyes darted around only to find his mom looking down at him with a crestfallen expression. With hurried steps, Inko came down the stairs to her child and pulled him into her comforting arms.

“Izuku, honey, what’s wrong?” she asked, too focused on him to notice the Buneary still sitting there with them.

Izuku allowed himself to cry a few more tears into his mother’s pink cardigan. He didn’t want to tell her all about Kacchan’s bullying—both Inko and Aunt Mitsuki already knew of Kacchan’s terrible treatment of Izuku, and had tried to put a stop to it many times through their continued interactions—so he just stayed quiet, keeping his sobs to a minimum.

“Who’s your friend here?” Inko asked as she carded her fingers through Izuku’s unruly curls.

With a small hiccup, Izuku sucked in a breath. “I...she came up to me in the park, a-and she...followed me home,” he told her, his voice nasally from all the crying.

Inko hummed, and Izuku could feel the vibrations of the noise through her chest. “It seems like she wants to stay with you, Izuku,” she said and Izuku heard the smile in her voice.

He looked up at his mother in surprise, a few stray tears falling from widened green eyes. “You...you’d let me keep her?”

Inko smiled lovingly at her son. “Of course. It’s not every day a Pokémon chooses its trainer.”

Izuku then turned his teary gaze to Buneary, who sat on the stair and stared back at him with innocent eyes and a tilt to her head, her floppy ears perked up in anticipation.

She...chose him?

“Come on, Izuku, let’s go inside and have some dinner, okay?” Inko said, helping her son up off the step. He stood on wobbly legs and sniffed back any more tears that threatened to fall. 

“Whoa!” he exclaimed as he was forced to bend over at the waist, feeling a heavy weight rapidly climb up his back until it finally settled on his head and shoulders. The Buneary peeked around his tuft of green hair, squeaking at him as if trying to say something important.

Laughing, Inko guided them inside their apartment. As soon as they stepped through the door, they were met with wide, curious violet eyes.

“Mimi, come meet our new friend, she’s very nice,” Inko said sweetly to her Espurr, picking up the small feline-esque Pokémon and bringing her closer to Izuku and the Buneary.

“Bun?” the rabbit said, moving her head closer to Mimi. Her small, coal-black nose shifted up and down as she sniffed, trying to familiarize herself with the new scent. Mimi just stared, not in an unfriendly way, at the newcomer into their house. Being a Psychic-type, she was able to ascertain many things about people and Pokémon alike just by reading their energy and thoughts. Satisfied that Buneary wasn’t a threat, Mimi hummed in approval and nuzzled against Inko’s chest.

Izuku sighed in relief. “Oh, I’m so glad Mimi’s okay with her…” he said, reaching up to pat Buneary on the head.

Inko hummed in agreement and the group of four made their way to the kitchen. She let her Pokémon down and began looking through the cupboard where they kept all of Mimi’s food and treats. “I don’t know what kind of flavors she’ll like...we’ll have to take her to the Pokémon center up the road tomorrow and get her checked out. They might be able to determine her tastes, too,” she said, pulling out one of the small, unopened bags of Poké Kibble they had on-hand. 

Izuku helped out by finding a little bowl to put some kibble into. “Are you hungry?” he asked Buneary, who was still perched on his shoulder and staring curiously at the bowl. Inko poured a small amount of food into the bowl and Izuku held it up for Buneary to take a couple pieces. 

Her paw picked up two crunchy bits and she threw them into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. When she didn’t make a disgusted face, Izuku and Inko were both relieved. Buneary didn’t seem too enthused about eating more, but when Izuku set the bowl on the table, she did hop off his shoulder and pick at the food.

Inko brought over two plates for herself and Izuku and set them on the table, leaving the other two place settings for Mimi and Buneary. Mimi hopped up on the table with a sour-flavored poffin and was happily munching away as Izuku and Inko tucked into their own dinners.

“So, have you thought of a name?” Inko asked her son.

Izuku paused with his noodles halfway to his mouth, sparing a glance at the Buneary who was still poking around the bowl of kibble. “I don’t know yet…” he muttered.

Inko hummed, then smiled a reassuring smile. “Well, give it some time. It’ll come to you when the time is right.”

Izuku nodded and took a bite of his dinner, watching Buneary come up to sniff at the contents on his plate. But when she got a glance at his somewhat saddened face, she paused for a moment before reaching out and attaching her paws to his cheeks. She squeezed his face, making his lips puff out.

Inko laughed at the pair. “She really seems to like you, Izuku.”

* * *

* * *

Later that night, tired out from the escapades of the day, Izuku fell asleep on the couch in the living room with Buneary curled up next to him as if she had always belonged there. Inko didn’t have the heart to wake them and send them to Izuku’s room, so she covered both her son and his new Pokémon partner with a fuzzy All Might blanket to keep them warm during the night.

* * *

“What?! Deku has a Pokémon?!”

“How did that happen?!”

“Where did you catch it?”

“Why doesn’t it have a Poké Ball?”

“Are you kidding me?! Damn Deku has a Pokémon _before_ me?!”

“Katsuki, _language,_ please!”

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a nervous laugh. All of his friends seemed really surprised that he now had a Pokémon to call his own—though Kacchan seemed angry about it rather than surprised. They were all surrounding him and Buneary, poking and prodding at the rabbit Pokémon. In return, Buneary—now named Small Might—was surprisingly okay with all the attention she was getting and allowed her ears to be played with. It seemed that she knew his friends meant no harm and were only curious about her.

She was curious about them, too, taking the time to sniff each and every one of them as she was introduced to them.

And then it was Kacchan’s turn.

“Should have figured Deku would end up with a cutesy-ass Pokémon,” Kacchan sneered.

Izuku frowned at his friend. “What’s wrong with cute Pokémon?” he challenged, though after realizing what had come out of his mouth, he cowered back, afraid that Kacchan was going to blast him with his Quirk or something.

“They’re useless!” Kacchan answered, his palms sparking just a bit. 

Small Might, noticing her newfound trainer was afraid of this blond kid, glared at Kacchan and dropped down into a defensive stance with her ears folded.

Kacchan just laughed. “What’re you gonna do, stupid rabbit? Flop your dumb ears at me?”

And that was exactly what Small Might did.

She leapt at Kacchan, readying an attack with one of her ears and smacking Kacchan hard enough across the face that he went sprawling to the ground.

All of the children stared in shock at the ballsy Pokémon. Small Might just landed on the ground and stared haughtily at Kacchan, as if challenging him to take her on again and see what would happen.

Izuku was equally shocked, staring with wide eyes between Kacchan and his Buneary. “S-Small Might?” 

“YOU STUPID THING!” Kacchan yelled, scrambling to his feet and dusting the dirt off his clothes. His hand came up to his sore cheek, rubbing it to alleviate some of the pain. His fiery red eyes glared daggers at Small Might, but she didn’t seem affected by it at all. She just bounded back over to Izuku, crawling up his arm until she was hanging onto his back and poking her head over his shoulder.

Izuku smiled at Small Might, patting her head.

* * *

“Okay, Small Might, pick a poffin!” Izuku said, pointing to the short barrels of different flavored Pokémon treats. They were each labeled with the main flavors Pokémon usually gravitated towards, according to their individual natures, with assorted yummies inside.

Small Might waddled up to the barrel labeled ‘spicy,’ sniffing the air to affirm her choice before digging her little paws through the pile of spicy food until she found a pastry that she wanted. She pulled a heart-shaped poffin out of the bin and held it up to Izuku with a big grin.

“Bun bun!!” she said excitedly.

“That one looks good,” Izuku said, smiling at his Pokémon. “Let’s go to the cooler so I can get some ice cream.” The two of them went over a couple aisles to the human food section of the conbini, where Izuku found a little ice chest filled with various frozen sweets. There was another kid standing in front of the cooler with his Swirlix, gazing through the glass and contemplating his decision.

“Should I get chocolate, or vanilla? Or, maybe strawberry?” the dark-haired kid wondered aloud, tapping his full lips with his forefinger. The Swirlix cooed in a sweet manner, floating next to her trainer.

“The cola popsicle is really good, if you want to try that!” Izuku piped up, smiling at the other kid. He slid open the top and picked up a popsicle with a picture of a glass cola bottle on the packaging, handing it to the kid. “It’s one of my favorites.”

The kid took the popsicle from Izuku with a grin. “Thanks, I’ll give it a try!” He turned and headed for the front counter, his Swirlix floating happily behind him.

Smiling to himself, Izuku then dug around for a light blue popsicle-looking treat, letting out a small noise of success when he found one.

“Alright, let’s go pay!” he told Small Might, leading her up to the counter now that he had his sea salt ice cream in hand.

When they got up to the counter, Izuku had to stand on his tiptoes to see the clerk behind the register. He placed his ice cream on the counter for her to ring up. “Oh, and one spicy poffin too!” he informed her, pointing to Small Might who was already nibbling on the poffin.

“That’ll be 400 yen,” the clerk said with a smile, clearly enamored by the adorable pair.

Izuku placed his coins on the counter and took his ice cream, yelling out a sweet, “Thank you!” as he and Small Might exited the store.

Izuku unwrapped his ice cream, throwing the wrapper in the trash can outside the conbini before starting to suck and lick at the top of the popsicle.

“So good!” he said excitedly, thoroughly enjoying his treat. Small Might chimed in with a cheer of her own, holding up her half-eaten poffin. 

The two of them strolled along the sidewalk, enjoying their treats in peace and happiness, when there was a loud cry from up ahead.

Izuku stopped in his tracks, his tongue still stuck to his ice cream. “What was that?” he said around his food.

Small Might’s ears had perked up as well, and she looked ahead to discern the source of the noise. When there was another cry, she shoved the rest of her poffin into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks, and ran down the sidewalk on all fours.

“H-hey, Small Might, wait!” Izuku called out, placing his own treat in his mouth to hold it so he could run and catch up with his Pokémon. His teeth already began to freeze at the prolonged contact.

Small Might came to a stop a bit further ahead, standing next to a kid who looked about Izuku’s age. They were both looking up into a tree along the side of the road.

“Meowsie!” the kid wailed, and Izuku slowed to a stop behind him and Small Might.

“What’s the matter?” Izuku asked after he removed his ice cream from his mouth. It was melting now, beginning to drip onto the concrete. It had already gotten all over his mouth and chin, sliding down and staining his shirt.

“M-my Meowth…” the kid repeated, pointing up into the tree. “She won’t come down!”

Izuku looked up and sure enough, there was a Meowth up in the lower branches of the tree. The pink bow around her neck looked a little askew, but other than that, she seemed fine.

“Do you have any treats on you?” Izuku asked. “Maybe we can lure her down with one of those?”

The kid shook his head. “No, we...we ran out…”

Izuku shoved the rest of his melting ice cream into his mouth, thinking as he munched on some of the still frozen bits. He looked between Small Might, the kid, and Meowsie, an idea forming in his head. He tapped the wooden popsicle stick against his sticky lips.

“Small Might...you wanna go up and talk to her? See if you can get her to come down?” Izuku asked his Pokémon, nodding his head towards the Meowth who was looking down at them curiously.

Small Might wiggled her nose a little as if mulling over her trainer’s suggestion. Then she looked up into the leaves, her ears twitching as she crouched down. “Bun!” she cried out as she leapt into the air, grabbing onto the lowest branch of the tree and maneuvering herself up.

“Wow, your Buneary can jump really high!” the kid said in awe, looking up at the fluffy rabbit Pokémon.

Izuku smiled proudly. “Okay, Small Might, get Meowsie down from there!”

“Bun bun Buneary!” Small Might replied, climbing up a few more branches until she reached the Meowth perched in the tree. She greeted the feline Pokémon, pointing at her pink bow and smiling.

Meowsie seemed flattered, meowing back excitedly and wagging her curly tail.

Izuku and the kid watched as their Pokémon held a short, very animated conversation. After a minute or so, both creatures looked down at their trainers. Izuku nodded his head vigorously, pointing down at the ground. “Come down here, Meowsie, your trainer is worried about you!”

The Meowth seemed to ponder Izuku’s words, then turned to Small Might and mewled. Small Might replied happily and nodded, turning around so that Meowsie could hop onto her back.

Once Meowsie was secure, Small Might bounced down a few branches until they were on the lowest one. From there, she gauged the distance from there to the ground and readied herself for the leap. With a powerful cry, Small Might jumped from the tree and landed right on Izuku’s shoulders, forcing him to bow forward to balance the two Pokémon on his back.

“Oof!” Izuku said at the moment of impact, bracing his little legs to keep himself balanced. 

“Meowsie!” the kid cried out, grabbing his Meowth off of Small Might’s back and cuddling the cat close to him. “You scared me! Please don’t do that again!” he pleaded with his Pokémon.

Meowsie just meowed, purring as she nuzzled into the kid’s chest.

The kid turned to Izuku with a teary smile. “Thank you so much for helping get Meowsie down...and you too, Buneary!”

Izuku, now standing upright with Small Might hanging off his shoulder as she usually did, smiled brightly at the kid. He tried to subtly wipe at his mouth, to get rid of the sticky ice cream residue. “Uh...it was no problem! Really! I’m glad she’s okay!”

“Bun!” Small Might agreed.

“You really are a hero!” the kid said, his smile determined and true.

Izuku blushed at that, letting out a nervous laugh. 

“Thanks again!” the kid said, turning and running down the sidewalk with his Meowth still in his arms.

Izuku could do nothing but stand there for a few moments, breathing in and out.

_A hero…_

“Maybe...I _can_ be a hero…” Izuku whispered, curling his small hand into a fist.


	2. Bakugou Katsuki: Origin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Ally (chibistarlyte):** Welcome to chapter 2, friends! I guess I should explain how these first few chapters are gonna work. Our four main characters (i.e. Izuku, Kastuki, Eijirou, and Shouto) will each have their own introductory chapter, and then after that we're gonna start moving the plot along a bit. We just really wanted to write how each of the boys got their partner Pokémon. And this chapter is how Katsuki gets his. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts on our choice for Katsuki!
> 
> If you'd like, come find me on tumblr [@chibistarlyte](https://chibistarlyte.tumblr.com/)!
> 
>  **Kat (ladyoakenshields):** I love these kids so much!!! It's so much fun to share how these kids start out. Just some babeys with their babey Pokémon! Artwork in the chapter is done by Ally and I colored it! LET'S GOO.
> 
> Come follow me at my BNHA tumblr[@sunshineijirou](https://sunshineijirou.tumblr.com/)

“Stupid Deku and his stupid Buneary,” Katsuki growled to himself as he kicked at the ground with his dirty sneakers. Life was just so unfair. He didn’t understand how Deku— _Deku_ of all people—managed to catch himself a damn Pokémon. He didn’t even have a Quirk!

And his Buneary was a complete asshole on top of it, which pissed Katsuki off even more.

Growling more, he kicked a particularly large pebble and watched it careen down the sidewalk. Here he was, feeling sorry for himself because while he may have developed a freaking awesome Quirk, he still didn’t have a Pokémon.

_And damn Deku had one!_

Katsuki let out a yell of rage and lit an explosion in his hand, punching the nearest solid object to him, which happened to be a tree. The resulting shockwave from his punch rattled the tree and out fell an Aipom from the branches. It smacked Katsuki’s face with its tail on the way down.

“Oi!” Katsuki yelled, rubbing his reddening cheek. “Watch where you’re falling, you annoying monkey!”

Aipom flailed with a frown as if apologizing for the mishap. Katsuki just rolled his eyes and, still rubbing his smarting cheek, continued on his way. If he had a Pokémon, he could have battled that Aipom for hitting him in the face.

_He had to get a Pokémon. He had to!_

But it couldn’t be just any Pokémon. It had to be tough, and cool looking, and evolve into something powerful that could help him with hero work.

Because, yeah, he wanted to be a Pro Hero when he grew up.

Plus, he wanted a Fire-type more than anything.

The problem was, there weren’t a lot of wild Fire-types around where he lived.

Letting out a dejected sigh, Katsuki turned the corner of the final block leading to his house.

_Where was he gonna get a Pokémon that was perfect for him in every way?_

He couldn’t just ask his parents for one; his mom was adamant that he go out and catch his own Pokémon, saying that he couldn’t just have things handed to him. And for once, Katsuki agreed with her. He had to work hard to achieve his goals. Besides, he knew he wouldn’t be lucky enough to have a Pokémon basically attach itself to him and follow him home like Deku’s stupid Buneary did.

He was bitter about it and probably would be for the rest of forever. But once he got a Pokémon, he’d show Deku who was boss.

“I’m home,” he grumbled out as he closed the front door behind him, throwing his backpack down on the floor. 

“Welcome home, Katsuki!” Masaru greeted his son from the sofa, where he had various sketches of a newer clothing line spread out on the coffee table. “Before you get settled in, can you do me a favor and take the trash out please?” His father gave him a warm smile, adjusting his glasses to look properly at Katsuki.

Grunting in assent, Katsuki slipped out of his shoes and stepped out of the genkan, headed toward the kitchen. 

“Katsuki!” his mom greeted from where she was standing at the stove, stirring a skillet of what looked like curry for dinner. “How’s my grumpy son today?”

“Fine,” the five-year-old grumbled again, going through the motions of removing the bag from the trash can. Katsuki tied the bag sullenly and, swinging it over his shoulder like a traveling man would a knapsack, headed back to the door. He slipped his shoes back on, but not all the way, his heels folding the back lips of his shoes down. 

“Katsuki, you’re gonna ruin your shoes like that!” Masaru warned, but Katsuki ignored his dad and let the door slam behind him. He shuffled up to the sidewalk in the front of the house, leaving his little trash bag out by the larger container his parents had put out earlier. As he turned to head back inside, he heard a strange sound that made him pause.

It sounded like something was ruffling or digging through plastic.

He glanced down at the bag he’d just set out, making sure a Pokémon hadn’t sneaked up behind him and started messing with the garbage. Nothing was there, but Katsuki still heard the sound…and now it sounded like… _munching?_

Katsuki looked to their next-door neighbor’s rubbish pile, seeing something moving in there but unable to get a good enough look to tell what it was. 

Curious, he crept closer to the garbage mountain.

A head poked out of one of the trash bags, small eyes as red as his own squinting at Katsuki from amidst all the refuse. 

_A Pokémon?!_

Katsuki stayed stock still for fear of startling the creature. The two of them held eye contact for a few moments before the Pokémon—it looked like a Cyndaquil—ducked back into the trash, presumably digging around for some food.

“Oi! Get out of my trash, you stupid thing!” Katsuki’s neighbor called out from the front door of his home, shaking his fist angrily. The shouting startled the Cyndaquil enough that a minuscule set of flames burst from her back, catching a couple of pieces of trash on fire.

“Damn it, get out of here!” the neighbor yelled before disappearing into the house and calling for his Mudkip to help put out the small fires.

Meanwhile, Kastuki watched the Cyndaquil skitter away across the street, and before he could think twice, he followed her. The little creature disappeared into the space between two houses, scrambling through the bushes in an attempt to hide, lighting tiny fires in its wake.

Katsuki stomped on every little fire he came across, lest they grow and spread to any of the houses. He stopped in his tracks when he heard nothing but silence, wondering if the Cyndaquil had escaped behind the houses or was still hidden in the underbrush somewhere.

“Katsuki! Katsuki, where are you?!” he heard his mother yell from across the street. But he ignored her calls and crouched down to peer into the grass, his feet angled up in such a way that his shoes were practically falling off his feet.

“Cynda…” he heard the Pokémon whine from the grass. It sounded… _scared._

Katsuki quietly dropped to his knees and made to lie down, flattening his entire body against the ground and peering into the grass for any sight of the Pokémon he was sure was still there.

“KATSUKIIIIIII!” his mother called again, this time sounding much more worried than before.

Still, Katsuki ignored her in favor of trying to get this Cyndaquil to come out of hiding. He laid his palm out flat in front of him, his fingers curled ever so slightly in a welcoming gesture. He couldn’t see the Cyndaquil, but spoke to her anyway in the gentlest voice he’d probably ever used in his entire life. “Come out…I won’t hurt you…”

“Quiiiiiiiil…” the Cyndaquil responded weakly, still sounding terrified out of her mind.

He felt bad for the Pokémon…to be digging through the trash, she must have been hungry. And it was odd for a Cyndaquil to be in these parts. How did she get here? Where did she come from? None of these things Katsuki knew. The only thing he knew was something terrible must have happened to this Pokémon because each utterance of her name made it sound like she was almost crying.

An unidentifiable emotion tugged at Katsuki’s tiny heartstrings.

He wiggled the tips of his fingers only slightly, trying to get the Cyndaquil’s attention. “I won’t hurt you,” he assured again.

Slowly, a dark teal colored snout began emerging from the grass, moving in an up and down motion that made it seem like the Cyndaquil was sniffing for any danger. Squinted red eyes watched Katsuki cautiously as if preparing for him to jump out and hurt her.

When Cyndaquil’s nose made contact with Katsuki’s fingers, he smiled a little. “There...that’s it...”

“BAKUGOU KATSUKI, I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD IF YOU DON’T GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT I WILL RAIN PUNISHMENT DOWN UPON YOUR ASS LIKE DRACO METEOR!” the unmistakable voice of his mother shrieked out, this time sounding closer than before. She must have spotted him from across the street because she was stomping angrily in his direction with his father tagging along behind.

“Mitsuki, you’re not setting a very good example for Katsuki…” Masaru argued weakly.

Cyndaquil froze at the voices approaching them, and Katsuki suddenly grew very afraid that the oncoming commotion would scare her away.

“Katsuki! What are you—”

“Shhhhhh!” he shushed his loudmouth mother, still not moving from his spot on the ground. “There’s a Cyndaquil here, and it’s very scared, so _be fucking quiet!”_ he commanded in a strained whisper, not wanting to yell and chase the Pokémon off.

“His language...” Masaru whispered to Mitsuki, but they both heeded their son’s words and kept quiet behind him.

The Cyndaquil was still hesitant with the two new human presences, but she didn’t scamper away in fear, which Katsuki was grateful for.

“Shhhhh…” he whispered again, this time in a more soothing manner to coax the Pokémon further out of the grass.

“I...think this is the most patient I’ve ever seen him,” Mistuki commented in a hushed voice that Katsuki just barely caught. And as much as he wanted to grimace at his mom’s words, he had to keep his expression neutral and more friendly-looking to try and get this Cyndaquil to cooperate with him.

“Cynnnnnda…” the Pokémon cried lowly, once again extending her nose to sniff Katsuki’s hand. Once she seemed comfortable enough with him, she shifted forward on all four paws until her snout reached Katsuki’s slim wrist.

“You wanna come home with me?” Katsuki asked the Pokémon as if she could understand any modicum of human speech. “I can give you food.”

Cyndaquil seemed to understand that last word, perking up slightly at the mention of food. 

Katsuki smiled.

Behind him, both his parents had knelt down on the ground as well to decrease their intimidation factor. Like her son, Mistuki held out her hand and quietly clicked her tongue against her teeth. “Come on, little sweetie,” she cooed at the Pokémon.

Cyndaquil’s red eyes warily watched Mitsuki and Masaru for a few long and tense moments. She eventually decided that they were trustworthy enough, choosing to slowly emerge from the grass with a few little cries.

Masaru, who had noticed her cries, said, “Is it hurt?”

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders to the best of his ability, still lying on the ground. “I’m not sure. It was just digging in the trash until Nakamura next door yelled at it, and it ran over here,” he explained, still keeping his voice quiet to preserve the peaceful atmosphere he’d cultivated for the Pokémon.

“We’ll look it over once we get it in the house,” Mitsuki promised quietly with a smile.

The little blond child slowly reached for the Cyndaquil, gently shushing her cries. “Here, I got you,” he said, and surprisingly enough, the Cyndaquil let him grab her with his little hands and pick her up. She didn’t even wiggle or squirm to be let down.

“Mom?” he said, and Mitsuki understood her son’s unspoken question immediately. She reached for the small Pokémon, holding her close to her chest almost like an infant so Katsuki could stand up again.

Katsuki dusted all the dirt off his clothes, knowing his dad would probably force him into a bath after dinner for this. But he wasn’t feeling as upset about it as he normally would, because he was getting to bring Cyndaquil home with him.

“Oh, oh no…” Mitsuki said as Cyndaquil started writhing in her arms, crying weakly and fighting to be let go. “Here, Katsuki, take it,” she said, and Katsuki hurriedly reached his arms out for the Pokémon.

As soon as Cyndaquil was in Katsuki’s arms, she settled almost immediately.

When they got back into the house, Mitsuki set to finding something edible for the Pokémon since they didn’t have any Pokémon of their own. And they very well couldn’t feed it the curry that was going cold—even if it was a Fire-type and could probably handle the spice.

Eventually, they settled on some crunchy rice cakes for the time being. Katsuki helped his mom out, taking some crisps from the bag and breaking them up into small enough bites for Cyndaquil. They put the broken pieces into a rice bowl and set it on the floor. Katsuki sat cross-legged next to the bowl, trying to coax Cyndaquil out from under the kitchen table. 

“Come on, it’s food. Not the best, probably, but better than you were eating in the trash,” Katsuki told her, and Cyndaquil watched him and tilted her head slightly.

Sighing a little, Katsuki nudged the bowl forward.

Cyndaquil just continued to stare.

“I’m gonna run to the conbini and see if they have a small bag of Pokémon food for right now,” Masaru announced, already grabbing his keys and stepping into the genkan to put on his shoes. 

“Good idea,” Mitsuki agreed, bidding her husband goodbye with a quick kiss and a pat to his arm.

Meanwhile, Cyndaquil finally emerged from under the table and waddled to the bowl full of crisps. She stopped after every bite to watch Katsuki.

Throughout the whole deal, Katsuki was extremely patient. He didn’t want to scare the poor little thing; she seemed stressed enough already.

He wondered, not for the first time that night, where exactly this Cyndaquil had come from. Judging from her behavior, she couldn’t be just a wild Pokémon. _What if...someone…_

“Katsuki?”

The blond looked up at his mom, who knelt down next to him with a smile on her face.

“I just wanna say that I’m very proud of you,” Mitsuki said, placing her hand on her son’s shoulder. “You were very brave trying to help Cyndaquil, and you’ve been kind and patient with it. You really do have the makings of a hero, kiddo.”

Katsuki, red in the face at his mom’s genuine praise, pouted and ducked away as she tried to ruffle his spiky hair. “It’s...it’s not that big a deal, Mom,” he grumbled out through pursed lips.

But Mitsuki just smiled and ruffled her son’s hair regardless, then stood. “I’ll set up a little bed for Cyndaquil in your room, okay?”

Katsuki nodded, and away his mom went to make a comfortable place for Cyndaquil to sleep.

As they found out later that night, the bed was largely unneeded because Cyndaquil slept curled next to Katsuki the whole night.

* * *

“So, what’s her name?”

“Lord Explosion Murder.”

All the other kids stared warily at Katsuki as if they couldn’t believe the words that just came out of his mouth.

“Wouldn’t she be _Lady_ Explosion Murder?” Deku asked, not fazed at all by his friend’s outrageous nickname. Small Might was at his feet, looking curiously at the new Pokémon of the group.

“Lord can be gender-neutral!” Katsuki argued. 

“Either way, isn’t that...uh...a mouthful, Kacchan?” Deku asked, and god if Katsuki didn’t wanna punch the broccoli-haired boy in the face. 

“Shut up, it’s the best name ever. I want her to be a badass!” Katsuki argued, holding his fist up threateningly.

“Katsuki, language!” Mitsuki called from a few feet away, where she was talking with Inko and a couple of other parents of their shared friends.

“Go away, Mom!” Katsuki yelled back, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting. At his feet, his little Cyndaquil pawed at his leg and yipped at him.

“What do you want, Lord Explosion Murder?” Katsuki asked his Pokémon, his voice unusually soft.

“As much as I hate to say this, Deku is right…” one of their friends piped up. “That name is kinda too long…”

Katsuki rolled his eyes. “You guys are pissing me off. What should I call her, then?!” He felt a little insulted that his friends didn’t approve of his creative taste in nicknames.

“Um. Maybe...uh,” Deku began, touching the tips of his fingers together nervously. His Buneary bounced next to him, excitedly.

“Spit it out, Deku, I can’t hear your muttering!”

“Maybe you should name her Lem?” Deku suggested, his voice a little louder so it could carry to his friend. “Uh. Like...what’s the word...an acronym? For Lady Explosion Murder?”

Katsuki’s angry expression melted somewhat into a more thoughtful one. His head angled down slightly as he stared at the ground, considering the name Deku had just suggested. “I...guess...that could work,” he admitted through gritted teeth, almost embarrassed that he’d taken Deku’s idea of all things. He looked to his Cyndaquil with inquisitive red eyes. “What do you think? You wanna be called Lem?”

“Cynda!” Cyndaquil answered excitedly, smiling up at her trainer. A small burst of flame erupted from her back in her enthusiasm.

“Wow, she really is the perfect Pokémon for you, Kacchan!” Deku exclaimed, referring to the flames bursting forth.

Katsuki crossed his arms proudly. 

_Deku was right, for once…Cyndaquil was_ perfect _for him._

“Yeah, she is!” Katsuki nodded enthusiastically. “Much better than your stupid rabbit Pokémon.” 

“I don’t think so! I think they’re both good Pokémon,” Deku objected.

“Why don’t we prove it, then?” Katsuki challenged.

“A Pokémon battle?” one of their friends suggested. “Deku’s Buneary versus Katsuki’s Cyndaquil!” 

Katsuki’s eyes lit up at the challenge. _He knew he’d be able to sweep the floor with Deku’s stupid rabbit._

“Okay!” Katsuki agreed, a small pop erupting from his hand in excitement. 

“W-Wait,” Deku muttered, as he glanced down at Small Might. Her ears were down, and she growled. Apparently, she was ready to fight Katsuki’s Cyndaquil. “We shouldn’t have to fight…” 

“C’mon, are you going to be a hero or what, _shitty Deku?_ Heroes don’t back away from challenges!” Katsuki goaded him on. 

“Bun!” Small Might answered before Deku could say anything. 

“Look, your stupid Pokémon is eager to have her ass kicked. Let’s do this!” Katsuki exclaimed. 

There was a moment of silence before Deku stood up straighter, his eyebrows creased in a quiet fury that Katsuki had never seen before.

“Okay, then.” Deku steeled his expression. “If I win, you have to stop calling Small Might stupid or weak or dumb or-or _shitty.”_ He stumbled on the foul language Katsuki always used. 

“Hah, whatever. If I win, you have to admit you have a shitty Pokémon and that I’m gonna be a better hero than you!” Katsuki decided. 

“Fine,” Deku agreed, grinding his teeth together.

Their friends carved out a rough Pokémon battlefield in the dirt for them to stand on. After that, they drew straws to decide who was going to referee the match. 

Katsuki and Deku stood on opposite sides of the makeshift battlefield, and the chosen referee did his best announcing voice to call out the two challengers. 

Mitsuki nudged Inko and gestured to where the kids were standing, readying for a battle. 

“Looks like they’re going to have their first true Pokémon battle,” she muttered, a spark of excitement lighting up her voice. 

“Oh!” Inko looked over with interest and slight worry for her son. 

“Today’s match is the fearsome Bakugou Katsuki with his fiery Pokémon _Lord Explosion Murder!”_ their chosen referee called out, pumping his fist in the air.

Katsuki crossed his arms, feeling confident as ever.

“Against the challenger Deku, and his Buneary...I guess.” 

Deku frowned at that, but Small Might looked like she was raring to go despite their lukewarm announcement.

“Battle...START!”

Katsuki smirked his most feral smirk and pointed out at the battlefield. “Lem, start out with your Quick Attack!”

Deku cried out, “Small Might, you use Quick Attack too!”

Both Pokémon did as their trainers commanded, running toward each other at a breakneck speed. However, Deku’s Buneary’s speed was just a tad higher than Katsuki’s Cyndaquil’s. Small Might rammed into Lem with a cry, sending Lem skidding back into the dirt.

“Quiiiil!” Lem cried, still timid but a little more fired up for this battle. A burst of flames shot from her back, not unlike her trainer’s Quirk.

“Use Ember, Lem!”

“Dodge it if you can, Small Might!”

* * *

* * *

Lem shot out a small stream of flames that covered the battlefield, catching on the small patches of grass growing through the dirt. Small Might was able to dodge the attack itself, but the grass that had caught fire burned and licked at her feet and singed some of her fur.

“Small Might, roll on the ground to put the fire out and follow up with a Jumpkick!” Deku ordered.

“Bun bun!” Small Might cried out, doing as she was told. The small flames on her fur were doused by the dirt. When she rolled back onto her feet, she ducked low and used the stored energy to leap into a high jump with her foot extended for a kick.

“Lem, use Protect!” Katsuki yelled almost desperately, not wanting his Pokémon to get hit by such a powerful physical attack.

“CYNDA!” Lem cried as she curled herself low, a shield of pure light covering her and protecting her from Small Might’s onslaught.

Small Might grunted as her kick landed on the Protect barrier, dropping back to the ground and slightly limping from the impact on her foot. But she was still pumped and ready for the next attack.

Katsuki had to think fast. If he had Lem use Protect again in such quick succession, it would fail. _What else could be used against Buneary?_

“Lem, hit that stupid ass rabbit with your Rock Smash!” Katsuki yelled out confidently. Rock Smash was a Fighting-type move, and Buneary’s Normal typing gave her a weakness to it. Katsuki was certain they had this in the bag.

Lem began charging at Small Might, a fierce battle cry coming from her usually shy little self.

“Small Might, move in with Thunder Punch!” Deku called out. Small Might’s fist began glowing with a tinge of golden energy; the lighting crackles coating her fur like static electricity. As soon as Lem was within range, Small Might swung back and gave everything she had into that punch, hitting Lem square in the stomach and sending the Fire-type back.

Lem collapsed on the ground with a weak cry, trembling, unable to get up.

Everyone in their friend group stared on in shock...but perhaps the most shocked were Katsuki and Deku themselves. 

“L-Lord Explosion Murder is unable to battle…” their referee friend said hesitantly, holding up his hand like an official Pokémon League referee would. “B-Buneary...wins?!”

“What!?” Katsuki gasped. “There’s _no way!_ Deku is cheating…or-or something!” Katsuki exclaimed, dangerously close to tears. 

After Small Might caught her breath, she went over to the Cyndaquil and gently put a paw on her, as if to check if the other Pokémon was all right after the battle. 

“Get away from her, _you stupid thing!”_ Katsuki roared, coming forward and scooping Lem up into his arms. 

“Kacchan, wait, my mom has a Revive tablet you could use!” Deku offered as Small Might scampered back to him after Katsuki’s outburst. 

“ _Fuck off!”_ Katsuki roared. “I don’t want your stupid help, okay?!” 

With that, Katsuki stormed off from the playground, leaving his friends in stunned silence. 

“Ah, fuck,” Mitsuki sighed to herself. “I think that’s my cue to leave before he gets too far. I’ll text you soon, Inko.” Mitsuki bid their friends goodbye swiftly before hurrying up to catch Katsuki, who was headed for the park entrance.

“Leave me alone!” Katsuki shouted, hunching his shoulders and trying to walk faster than his mom. But unfortunately, she caught up to him with her much longer gait. 

“Where are we headed, Katsuki?” Mitsuki asked as she walked alongside him.

“Stupid Deku and his stupid rabbit!” Katsuki growled. 

“I know, I saw, love,” Mitsuki sighed, grabbing a fistful of Katsuki’s shirt to hold him back to wait to cross the street they had reached. 

“It’s not fair. I have the better Pokémon!” Katsuki argued as he pulled out of her grasp but remained stationary on the sidewalk to wait for the pedestrian light. 

“I know,” Mitsuki continued to placate him. “But sometimes, regardless of skill, things like that happen, and we have to learn to accept that and continue to get better.” Mitsuki tried to impart some knowledge onto her hot-headed son. “Are we headed to the Pokémon Center?” she asked as she spotted the red roof a block ahead of them. 

“Yeah, I need to get Lem feeling better again,” Katsuki grumbled, and Mitsuki sighed in relief that her son had somewhere in mind and wasn’t just aimlessly storming off. 

Once they were given the green pedestrian light, Katsuki and Mitsuki crossed the street and headed up the way to the Pokémon Center. The doors slid open to greet them, and there were a few people milling about but no one at the counter. 

“Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center!” The attendant smiled brightly at Katsuki as if he didn’t have tears welling up in his eyes or an unconscious Pokémon in his arms. “Would you like us to heal your Pokémon for you?” 

Katsuki nodded silently and allowed the attendant to reach forward and take Lem from his hands. 

“It’ll be just a moment!” the attendant assured him kindly, taking Lem back to a room Katsuki couldn’t see. He frowned, worry eating at his insides.

“I’m going to go look at the mart,” Mitsuki said, patting her son on the back before heading off to the other side of the Center.

Frustrated with his predicament, Katsuki went and sat down to wait for the attendee to come back with Lem. He looked around at the few others there in the Pokémon Center, his gaze stopping at a bundle of what looked like a black blanket with an equally black bird of some kind wrapped inside. It was on the bench to his left.

_Did someone leave their Pokémon?_

“What the fuck kind of Pokémon is that?” Katsuki muttered under his breath. 

The bird looked up and locked its eyes on him. 

“Are you speaking to me?” the bird said. 

“Oh shit…” Katsuki stared in surprise. From nowhere, a shadow emerged from the bundle of black. Its bright yellow eyes landed on Katsuki. 

“Are you here to have your Pokémon treated as well?” the shadow asked.

Katsuki continued to stare, dumbfounded at the shadow that just _spoke_ to him. 

“Wh—uh, y-yeah…” Katsuki swallowed hard and nodded. “You too?” 

The bird itself now spoke. 

“Yes. We encountered a horde of Spearow not far from here, and they were too much for me, Dark Shadow, and my Rookidee.” 

Dark Shadow? Oh, he must have meant that..shadowy...thing.

“Is that your Quirk?” Katsuki blurted out, pointing to the shadowy bird-shaped thing hovering behind the actual, real-life bird.

“Hnn,” the bird child affirmed. He shrugged off what Katsuki had decided was a _cloak_ of all things, crossing his arms over his chest. His...distinctly human arms.

Now that Katsuki got a good look, the bird wasn’t really a bird at all. Only his head had any distinct bird features. The rest of him was, amazingly, human.

“You look like a Murkrow,” Katsuki said with a scowl. “And your shadow shit looks like you’re using Shadow Sneak.”

The bird child sighed. “We get that a lot, right, Dark Shadow?”

“You betcha we do!” the shadowy bird agreed with a thumbs-up.

“Excuse me?” another voice interjected, and Katsuki looked up to see the attendant standing there with a very much revived Lem in their arms.

“Quil!” Lem greeted, squirming to get out of the attendant’s arms.

“Your Cyndaquil is all healed up now, and she seems very eager to get back to you!” the attendant laughed, holding Lem out to Katsuki.

Katsuki took Lem into his arms and hugged her close. Mitsuki returned then, a bag of Potions and Revives in her hand. 

“Thank you so much.” Mitsuki smiled at the attendant before turning back to her son and his Cyndaquil. “I’m glad to see Lem’s feeling better.” 

“Yeah,” Katsuki huffed, but also feeling just as relieved. 

“Ready to go home, bud?” Mitsuki asked. Katsuki looked up and waved to the bird boy before following his mother out of the Pokémon Center.

When they returned home, Katsuki and Lem retreated to his room where Lem gladly settled in at her place at the end of Katsuki’s bed. Katsuki pulled out a sketchbook and began to doodle what his pro-hero costume would look like. It began to take on some distinct characteristics that matched Lem, like a mask that had explosion designs on the side.

Katsuki smiled to himself as he colored in the spiky parts with black and orange crayon, his little tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in concentration. One battle didn’t matter in the long run. Katsuki and Lem were gonna be the best Hero-Pokémon duo there ever was. He just knew it.


	3. Kirishima Eijirou: Origin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Ally (chibistarlyte):** HEY GUYS, HOPE YOU LIKE LESBIANS! This is Eijirou's chapter, introducing Kat's two OCs Hana and Kazuyo, who are Eijirou's moms! We both are totally of the fanon that he has two moms, so Kat created some really great moms for him! I'll let her do most of the talking for this chapter, since they're her characters and Eijirou is her fave. But I'm still excited for y'all to see them! (also I've done some makeup looks for the two of them which I can link on my tumblr if anyone is interested!
> 
> Come find me on tumblr [@chibistarlyte](https://chibistarlyte.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> **Kat (ladyoakenshields):** ohhhh myg od I'm so nervous for this chapter gndfskdfj I love my boy and I love my moms I created for him (I'm planning on writing a '''prequel''' for them for NaNoWriMo this year both for Pokedemia AU and for Canonverse!) I don't usually include a lot of OCs in my work, so these two really have a soft spot in my heart. My best boy deserves the best moms <33 AND UHH I hope everyone else enjoys them too??? AAAAAAAA?? if you want more lesbian info pls find them here [on my bnha tumblr](https://sunshineijirou.tumblr.com/tagged/kirishima%20family)
> 
> I honestly don't know what else to say other than LET'S GO LESBIANS?!!

Kirishima Eijirou was convinced he had the two coolest moms in the world. They had the best Pokémon and the best jobs ever. 

Kirishima Hana was a Pokémon breeder. This meant whenever Eijirou and his mother went to visit her at work, he got to play with so many kinds of Pokémon. Her partner Pokémon was a Talonflame, named Akihiro, who helped Hana at her center.

His other mother, Kirishima Kazuyo, had been a Pro-Hero—The Ten-Carat Hero: Crystalline Rose. Her Pokémon partner was not only beautiful but rare as well, as it was a Carbink mutation, Diancie. Kazuyo and Diancie, affectionately nicknamed Diya, had been well known in the Pro-Hero circuit back in the day. But now that they were both effectively retired, the Pokémon liked to help Kazuyo out with household chores and playing with Eijirou. 

Eijirou hoped for a flashy Quirk like hers. _Then he could be a cool Pro-Hero like she had been!_

Though when his Quirk finally did manifest, it was nothing like Eijirou had hoped. 

It was the middle of the night and Eijirou had pulled himself out of bed to go to the bathroom. As he returned to his room he shut off the light, a Lampent nightlight being the only thing that illuminated the room. Eijirou yawned and reached up to rub a tired eye when he felt an awful pain tear through the skin just above his eye. 

He was so startled that he screamed and tripped over his own feet, crashing to the ground. Eijirou continued to sob as he sat in the dark holding his eye. Panic settled in as he felt warm, sticky blood drip down his face. 

In a moment, the light to his room was back on and both of his mothers were at his side immediately.

Hana brushed her short dark hair out of her face as she took in the scene before her. Kazuyo pulled her dusty pink hair up into a sloppy bun as she hurried to Eijirou’s side. He continued to sob as Kazuyo pulled Eijirou in close to comfort him. Hana left the room to grab the first aid kit. While she was gone, Diya trailed into Eijirou’s room with a quiet yet echoing cry. The Pokémon looked alert and ready to fight any danger that could have made Eijirou cry.

“Love, what happened?” Kazuyo asked calmly. Eijirou began to hiccup as he tried to explain, but it only came out as whimpers. “It’s okay, Ei, breathe.”

Hana returned and kneeled down beside her wife and son. She looked imploringly at Kazuyo who frowned, still unsure what had happened. Another spot of blood caught Hana’s eye, and she noticed more blood on Eijirou’s right hand. She gently reached for his hand and Eijirou allowed her to. He sniffled slightly, confused as to what his mother was doing. Hana noticed that there was a strange texture to his knuckles and fingers. 

“Kaz…” Hana muttered. “I think it’s his Quirk.” 

Kazuyo’s eyes widened as she continued to stroke Eijirou’s hair. Akihiro swooped into the room with a bottle of water clasped in his talons. He dropped it beside the first aid kit and perched beside his trainer, looking concerned for Eijirou.

“Sorry for waking you, but thank you, Aki,” Hana reached out to stroke the Talonflame’s feathers, which were a little ruffled from being woken up in the middle of the night. He nuzzled against her fingers. “What happened when you got hurt, Ei?” Hana asked, turning her attention back to her son. 

“M-My eye was itchy, s-so I rubbed it and i-i-it hurt!” Eijirou explained. 

“Oh, love,” Kazuyo sighed. She touched Eijirou’s hand as the hardened skin began to return to normal. Hana dug an alcohol wipe out of the first aid kit and began to clean his hand gently, then moved on to Eijirou’s face. He writhed when the alcohol touched the cut and Hana pulled away. 

“Seems like you take after your mother with your Quirk,” Hana said with a gentle smile as Eijirou continued to hiccup. She grabbed the water bottle Akihiro had fetched for her. Using her Quirk she summoned the water to her fingertips. She brought the water up to Eijirou’s cut to help soothe the inflamed skin before dressing it. 

Eijirou fussed and pulled away from her to hide against Kazuyo’s chest, shying away from the water so close to his eye. Hana let the water drop from her fingertips with a sigh. 

“Ei, it’s okay, you just have to let Mama help you,” Kazuyo said softly. 

“I know it’s not an ideal spot for using my Quirk, anyway,” Hana sighed. 

“Oh, it’ll probably scar,” Kazuyo pouted. “What a terrible place for a scar on his precious little face.” 

“What are you saying, Kaz? It’ll make him look tough,” Hana chuckled softly. “Come on, Ei. At least let me at least put a bandage on it.” 

Kazuyo shifted, which prompted Eijirou to turn his face to look at Hana again. His lip trembled and he nodded. 

“Close your eyes,” Hana instructed as she dabbed at the cut again before unwrapping a bandage and applying it to Eijirou’s cut. ”I know it’s not comfortable,” she sighed. “You’ll just have to bear with it for now.” 

“You’ll grow into it, Ei. It’ll be a great Quirk, just like mine!” Kazuyo continued to stroke Eijirou’s hair.

Eijirou continued to sniffle, trying to slow his breathing. 

“Come here, Ei.” Hana held out her arms. “Mom might want to go change, she’s got blood on her shirt.”

Both Eijirou and Kazuyo turned to look at the bloodstain on Kazuyo’s shirt.

“Oh!” Kazuyo sighed. “That’s okay, not like I haven’t gotten blood on my clothes before.” She chuckled. “I’ve got a good trick to get it out.” 

“That’s…not comforting, love,” Hana tutted. “Go change.” 

“Yessir!” Kazuyo gave a sleepy mock salute before getting up and leaving Eijirou’s room. Eijirou fell into Hana’s arms. 

“Isn’t that exciting, Ei? You’ve got your Quirk!” Hana tried to comfort him, gently bouncing the leg Eijirou was sitting on. He shook his head and Hana sighed, unsure what to do for her son to make him feel better. “Why don’t we try to go back to sleep, and everything will be better in the morning?” 

Eijirou pouted as if he wasn’t sure he agreed with her. 

“You’ll feel better after getting a good night's sleep, I promise. I know I always do,” Hana said as she stood up and hoisted Eijirou up. “You are getting too old for this, bud,” she grumbled, but brought him back to the bed and moved his blankets to help him get settled. 

Kazuyo entered the room again, wearing a different sleep shirt. 

“How are you doin’, Ei?” Kazuyo asked softly as Hana pulled the blankets up around him. He sniffled in response and pouted. “You’ll be okay.” 

“Do you think you can go back to sleep?” Hana asked as she gently brushed Eijirou’s hair away from the bandage on his face. 

He grumbled and shook his head.

“Still hurts,” Eijirou muttered. 

“Why don’t we stay with you for a little bit, then?” Kazuyo asked as she crawled onto Eijirou’s bed beside him. Leaning against the headboard, Eijirou curled up closer to Kazuyo, clutching at the soft fabric of her pajama pants. Hana scooted around to Eijirou’s other side. 

“Do you want to hear about the Pokémon I’m working with right now, Ei?” Hana asked softly. 

He nodded silently, still staring down at their feet resting on the bed. 

“Let’s see…” Hana started to take a mental tally of the Pokémon at her center and the ones Eijirou would find most interesting. “Oh, we had a Cleffa brought to us last week. It seemed to have been separated from her family and a family out on a hike found her. It was the middle of the day so they knew something was wrong. I currently have some of my employees looking into nearby gatherings of Clefairy to see if we can find where she belongs. She’s really tiny, even by Cleffa standards. She fits in the palm of your hand.” Hana cupped her hands to show Eijirou. 

Eijirou frowned and held out his own cupped hands.

“Well, maybe a bit bigger than your hands,” Hana chuckled. 

“Can I meet Cleffa?” Eijirou asked sleepily.

“Yeah, maybe you and mom can come visit the clinic in the afternoon this week. That is, if we don’t find her home before then,” Hana suggested and Kazuyo smiled and nodded in agreement. “And the Diglett group we have in the yard has been particularly fussy recently…” Hana continued to recount the recent misadventures of the Pokémon who had lived at her center for a while. 

Eventually, Hana noticed an odd silence fill the room, and she looked over to see Eijirou breathing deeply, fast asleep against Kazuyo’s leg. She glanced up and saw Kazuyo had also nodded off while still sitting upright. 

_Thank goodness,_ Hana breathed. She slowly bent over and turned off the bedside lamp, dousing them in a soft darkness. She leaned her head back against the headboard and let her body relax. Before she knew it, she fell into a light sleep beside her wife and son. 

* * *

Over the next few years, Eijirou began to understand and control his Quirk a little more easily, but it didn’t give him any consolation. Instead of being excited about his Quirk, he seemed unsure of it. He had subconsciously associated the memory of being hurt with using his Quirk and often shied away from actually using it.

Kazuyo did her best to try and subtly encourage him. Whenever she caught him playing and testing out his Quirk, she’d praise him. She began to use her own Quirk a little more around Eijirou, hoping it’d help nudge him in the right direction.

Hana insisted on letting him be and only addressing it if Eijirou ever brought it up. 

“I’m worried he’s really going to start to hate his Quirk,” Kazuyo lamented one night, as Hana finished getting ready for bed. “He can’t have self-confidence issues this young, Han. Imagine what that’ll do for him and his future.” 

“If we’re lucky, he’ll accept that his Quirk isn’t suited to be a Pro-Hero or anything like that and choose a safe life,” Hana explained as she turned off the bathroom light and came to bed.

“He’s only five years old,” Kazuyo argued. “You can at least let him have dreams before deciding to kill them.” 

“Killing his dreams? Really, Kaz?” Hana repeated incredulously.

“ _Every_ kid his age dreams of being a hero.” Kazuyo shrugged as if it were common knowledge. “Besides, I think if he trained and honed it, it’d be an _amazing_ Quirk.” 

“ _I_ didn’t want to be a hero at that age,” Hana disagreed. 

“Yeah, well, you were different, love,” Kazuyo chuckled softly. “Kids like him, they want to be heroes. You can see it with the way he plays in the park with the other kids.”

“Well, until I hear him say it with his own words, I’m not squashing any dreams by hoping he has a safe life, okay? I know what the hero world is like, better than anyone now, thanks to you. I’m surprised you don’t see things that way after your retirement.” 

Kazuyo groaned. She knew where Hana was coming from, and she didn’t want Eijirou to experience the horrors she had as a hero, but it seemed cruel to tell him at such a young age it’d be best if he never tried to be a hero. 

_Well, regardless,_ Kazuyo thought to herself. _He doesn’t have to become a Pro-Hero or follow in her steps, but he didn’t have to be ashamed of his Quirk, either._

One afternoon while they were out in their garden, Kazuyo suggested they play a game to quell Eijirou’s restlessness. 

“Hey, why don’t we play heroes and villains? I’ll be the villain, and we can have a duel of the super awesome Quirks!” Kazuyo offered.

“Okay!” Eijirou quickly agreed. “But…but my Quirk isn’t cool,” he said, suddenly shrinking away from the idea. Kazuyo sighed, wondering if she’d be met with this kind of response. To her surprise, Hana spoke up.

“C’mon, kid,” Hana said softly. “Your Quirk is like Mom’s. You’re both tough! Do you think _she_ has a boring Quirk?”

Eijirou shook his head. 

“But hers looks pretty. Mine is boring.” Eijirou sighed. 

“Pretty or not, it’s a strong Quirk,” Kazuyo told him. “You can make it a strong Quirk. It’ll probably be stronger than mine someday.”

Eijirou gave her a bashful smile. “That’s impossible, though,” he muttered.

“If you think about it, I really think it will be!” Kazuyo continued. “With my Quirk, I have to use it outside my body.” Kazuyo produced a small crystal lotus in her hand. Eijirou’s eyes grew wide, smiling at the beautiful gem in her hand. “After a lot of hard work, it became an extension of my body, but you’re lucky, Ei. Your Quirk _is_ your body.” She smiled, gently poking Eijirou’s chest. “It’ll be easier for you to use!” 

“But it’s _clunky,_ and it’s hard to use,” Eijirou argued, with a soft pout. 

“Not once you’re used to it,” Kazuyo said. “Besides, being a hero isn’t just about your own powers. It’s about how well those powers work with others. I’ve worked with many other heroes that have Quirks like ours, and we’ve defeated all kinds of villains together!” 

“R-Really?”

“Let’s see who I can tell you about.” Kazuyo lifted Eijirou into her lap, their game of hero versus villain forgotten as they sat in the grass in their garden. 

Kazuyo listed all the Pro-Heroes she had worked with who had similar Quirks, going out of her way to describe how incredible their Quirks were. 

“And then there was Crimson Riot!” Kazuyo exclaimed. Hana’s face fell from a small nostalgic smile to a haunted expression at the mention of the hero Kazuyo had once worked for. The fight that had ended Crimson Riot’s life was the one that had also ended Kazuyo’s career. There had been many nights she had woken up in a panic, reliving that fight in her nightmares, crying out for her mentor. 

But now she smiled and laughed, talking about him as if he were simply a good friend she hadn’t seen for a while. Eijirou seemed enamored by the story of this hero, and Hana felt a small sinking feeling in her stomach. She was worried this might trigger Kazuyo’s nightmares again or inspire Eijirou to become a Pro-Hero like them. Hana didn’t think she’d survive the stress of it if Eijirou really truly wanted to become a hero like Kazuyo. 

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Eijirou spoke up.

“S-So, do you really think I could be a hero like you?” he asked hesitantly. 

“It’s in your blood,” Kazuyo assured him.

Hana swore she felt one of her hairs turn grey.

* * *

It was an early Sunday morning, and Hana was cleaning up after their breakfast. Her short dark hair was held back by a headband as she scrubbed at the pans she’d used that morning. Kazuyo sat reading the newspaper and sipping at the black coffee Hana had just poured for her. She had a habit of closely checking the news for updates about heroes she’d worked with previously, or any villains she had faced. Her pastel pink hair was tied into a messy low bun at the base of her neck, and a pair of slim reading glasses sat on her nose. 

Eijirou was already outside chasing Diya around their garden and playing hide-and-seek. When he came inside for a mid-morning snack break, his hair was sticking up in odd directions. There were a few dead leaves and a twig stuck in his dark hair from when he had crawled through some bushes to try to find his mother’s Pokémon. Hana opened the fridge and dug through the tubs of premade food and found what she was looking for. 

“How about this?” Hana pulled out a tupperware filled with onigiri Kazuyo had made them the day before. 

“Yes!” Eijirou exclaimed as Hana put two of the rice balls on a small plate and grabbed two for herself.

“Kazuyo?” Hana offered.

“No thanks,” Kazuyo smiled softly as she continued to sip at her coffee. Hana put the rest of the onigiri away.

As Eijirou ate the rice balls, his brows creased as a sign that he had fallen deep in thought.

“H-Hey, Mama?” Eijirou perked up once he had finished his snack.

“What is it, love?” Hana asked as she looked up from her own plate. 

“I-I want to go catch a Pokémon!” Eijirou told her excitedly. 

“You do, do you?” Kazuyo smiled gently. She put down the newspaper and got up, picking up Eijirou’s plate to put in the sink.

“Yes! I want a partner just like you, Mom!” Eijirou pleaded. 

“Yeah? Really?” Kazuyo raised her eyebrow. She glanced at her wife who looked as if she had swallowed a bite of food and it went down the wrong way. 

“Mhm, I’m going to be a Pro-Hero like you, with my own Pokémon partner,” Eijirou explained.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hana found her voice after clearing her throat. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Kazuyo grinned. After all, Hana had said she would wait to hear the words out of Eijirou’s mouth. Now that he had admitted out loud that he wanted to be a hero, Hana would have to decide if she was going to stand in the way of her son’s dream or not. “Catching a Pokémon is the first step to becoming a great hero. It’s important you find your Pokémon and establish that trust early on. Maybe we can go out later for a walk and you can look for a Pokémon!”

“Wait a moment,” Hana repeated. “I’m…I’m not saying I approve but…if he’s going to have the perfect bond with a Pokémon partner, it should be a Pokémon specifically bred for him regardless of if he becomes a Pro-Hero or not.” 

Hana was prevalent in the Pokémon breeding community and knew they’d have better results, more control over things if she helped handpick the Pokémon her son would grow up with. 

“No, no, _no!_ I want to go _catch_ my Pokémon!” Eijirou told Hana seriously. “And I want to go by myself.” He then turned to Kazuyo.

“Hmm,” Kazuyo sighed. “I don’t love that. Perhaps if you don’t go too far. I suppose I was allowed to go out and find my Pokémon at your age. Or maybe I was a touch older…” 

“Kaz, you can’t just let him wander around in the wilderness, hoping to find his perfect Pokémon!” Hana argued. “It takes time and he’s not equipped or prepared to go out there and catch anything on his own.”

“Please let me try!” Eijirou whined. 

“What if we let him take your Rotom-Dex? He can call my phone if anything happens, and Rotom will be with him!” Kazuyo suggested. 

“Yeah, yeah yeah!” Eijirou excitedly bounced on the balls of his feet. “I’ll be fine, Mama! I promise! I’ll be careful!” 

It took another hour or so of discussion and negotiating before Eijirou found himself armed with a few of Hana’s spare Pokeballs and her Rotom-Dex. He began his trek as he left the neighborhood and went down a trail to a forested area not too far away to begin his search.

He was ecstatic. It was the first time he’d been allowed to roam outside of their yard and even into the forest by himself. Eijirou crept through the underbrush listening for any wild Pokémon. He knew there was a variety of rock type Pokémon out there in the forest. His own mother had caught her Diancie nearby over twenty years ago. _He was going to have just as much success as she had!_ There was a rustle in the bushes to Eijirou’s left and a Roggenrola waddled out. 

Eijirou gasped to himself. _Crimson Riot used to have an evolved version of a Roggenrola, Gigalith!_ It was a super cool Pokémon and if he could catch one…Eijirou readied the Poké Ball in his hand. 

“Okay,” Eijirou breathed to himself. “Let’s go!” he cried as he released the Poké Ball from his hand. The ball flew through the air and hit the Roggenrola. The Poké Ball sucked the Pokémon in and Eijirou’s heart leapt in excitement. The ball wiggled a few times and he held his breath. Suddenly, the ball exploded in a flash of light and Eijirou groaned as the Roggenrola scurried away. 

His stomach dropped. 

“Come on!” Eijirou groaned to himself. “It’s okay, there’s probably a ton of Roggenrola in this forest. I’ll just find another one!” Eijirou continued through the forest and past a cave. He considered going inside the cave to look, but he knew his mothers would probably worry if he did. Continuing onwards, he found himself in a lush hollow with large trees surrounding him. 

As he walked, he saw a grouping of Carbink ahead of him. He briefly considered going after the same type of Pokémon his mother had. He loved his mother’s Diancie. But he decided he should distance himself from her and catch a different Pokémon. 

He reached the far end of the forest path and he knew he shouldn’t go much further than this or he could be late getting home. 

Eijirou stayed still, listening to the sounds around him, wondering which other kinds of Pokémon lived in here. He continued down the path, his hearing attuned to the small sounds of the forest. Eventually, the trees opened up a bit and he found himself in a protected valley. The entire area felt alive and Eijirou had a good feeling about this place. 

Suddenly the idyllic scene was interrupted by a Pokémon charging out into the clearing ahead of Eijirou. It was a grey dog-type Pokémon. Eijirou had seen this type of Pokémon before…

“A Rockruff!” Eijirou whispered to himself, grinning with excitement.

Was that the kind of Pokémon he wanted to be his partner? It wasn’t exactly intimidating. But he stood his ground and yipped at Eijirou.

“ _Ruff!_ ” he barked at him. Eijirou grinned. He could appreciate the guts this Pokémon had.

“Okay, then,” Eijirou decided. He took a deep breath in and readied himself. “Let’s see how this goes…” 

He reached for one of his Poké Balls and pressed the button on the front to activate it. 

The Rockruff had noticed Eijirou and growled slightly, but he didn’t seem threatened. He merely seemed curious. 

“I’ve decided. You’re going to be an awesome Pokémon partner with my Quirk!” Eijirou muttered to himself. Taking another breath in, he wound his hand back and took aim. 

“Poké Ball, go!” Eijirou called before tossing the Poké Ball at the Rockruff. His aim was true and the Rockruff disappeared into the ball with a flash of light. The ball trembled several times and Eijirou’s heart pounded wildly in his chest, praying that it would stay in the ball. 

Finally, the ball went still and the light glow blinked out completely, signifying the Pokémon had been caught. 

“Yes!” Kirishima exclaimed, jumping up and down a few times. The sudden outburst startled a few Pidgey out of a tree nearby. 

He ran forward and collected the Poké Ball, staring at it for several moments in silence. 

“I did it…” Eijirou whispered to himself. “I did it!” he repeated a little louder. He held the Poké Ball close as he began to sprint down the forest path and back to their neighborhood, ecstatic to show his mothers his brand new Pokémon.

“Mama! Mom! Mom! _Mom! Ma!”_

The energetic six-year-old sped into the kitchen, nearly avoiding a collision with the table. Eijirou was nearly vibrating out of his skin as he held his Poké Ball aloft for both of his mothers to see. 

“I did it!” 

“What?! That’s great, Ei! Let’s see it,” Kazuyo prompted, looking eagerly at the Poké Ball in her son’s hand.

“Really? Right here in the kitchen?” Hana sighed.

“Diya is right here in the kitchen,” Kazuyo protested, the Diancie chirping happily hearing their name from their trainer. “So is Akihirio.” Kazuyo gestured to where Hana’s Talonflame was perched, unbothered by all the commotion.

“That’s different, you and I have had our Pokémon for a long time,” Hana shook her head. “Eijirou _just_ caught a _wild_ Pokémon.” 

“Please, Mama!” Eijirou begged, “please let me show you!”

“All right,” Hana sighed. “Any damage done is on your mother to clean up then.” She gave a wry smile as she glanced at her wife. 

“Let’s see, Ei,” Kazuyo repeated and Eijirou beamed with pride. 

“Okay! Let’s go!” Eijirou shouted as he called forth his new Pokémon. 

A Rockruff appeared in their kitchen. He growled uncertainly at his new surroundings. 

“A Rockruff!” Kazuyo exclaimed. “Oh, Ei, a Rockruff is perfect for you,” she explained, and she began to list off moves and traits of a Rockruff.

Despite her reluctance earlier, Hana was eager to join in on the excitement. She came forward and began to examine the new Pokémon and pointed out the healthy traits she saw in the Rockruff, all apprehension gone. 

Rockruff finally decided he was overwhelmed by the attention and pulled out of Hana’s grasp, darting from the kitchen. She gasped in surprise and Kazuyo let out a small laugh as Rockruff ran into the living area. 

“Okay, that’s enough, Eijirou. Call it back,” Kazuyo said with a smile and Eijirou fumbled with the Poké Ball. 

“Rockruff!” Eijirou called as he finally had a firm grip on the Poké Ball again, before taking off out of the kitchen and after the Pokémon. “C’mere!” 

Hana followed her son into the living area, where she found him on his hands and knees, trying to talk to the Rockruff where he had hidden under the coffee table. The dog Pokémon darted past Eijirou, determined to find somewhere where he couldn’t be followed. 

“Wait, come back!” Eijirou called, taking off after the Pokémon again. 

“You’re going to have to teach it some restraint if you’re going to be a proper trainer,” Hana said, watching Eijirou crawl after his Rockruff.

“I’m not gonna just be a trainer.” Eijirou poked his head up from behind the sofa. “I’m gonna be an amazing hero! Just like Mom!” 

Rockruff yipped excitedly to punctuate Eijirou’s proclamation. 

Eijirou shrieked with laughter at the sound and went back on his hands and knees. 

Hana snorted quietly to herself. Kazuyo came up behind her wife, silently placing a hand at her lower back. 

“What do you think?” Kazuyo asked softly. 

“Well, I can already tell, they’re perfect for each other.” Hana smiled as she watched Eijirou bark back at his Rockruff. 

“You’re okay with this?” Kazuyo asked, her expression turning anxious.

“I suppose I will be,” Hana sighed. “Things have changed since you were a Pro-Hero, don’t you think? Maybe he’ll have an easier go of it.” 

“We can hope,” Kazuyo said. 

“Don’t tell me you’re now regretting that you encouraged him?” Hana raised her brows with a mildly amused look on her face. 

“Of course not,” Kazuyo protested. “But it is a mother’s place to worry, isn’t it?”

“I suppose it is.” Hana shrugged. 

“Do you have any treats you want to share?” Kazuyo prompted her.

“Y’know, I might be able to whip something up for him.” Hana perked up as she thought through her favorite recipes. Kazuyo smiled to herself. 

“C’mon, Ei! Bring your Rockruff. Your mother is going to make him some food,” Kazuyo called. 

“Okay!” Eijirou finally got his arms around his Rockruff and began to haul him to the kitchen with him.

* * *

* * *

A few days later, once Eijirou’s new Rockruff had begun to adjust to his new life with his trainer, Kazuyo had promised she’d help Eijirou learn how to battle. As they arrived at the park, Hana listed Rockruff’s basic moves and Eijirou did his best to memorize them. 

They found a quiet area of the park and Hana laid out a blanket beneath a tree while Eijirou bounced around eagerly with his Rockruff chasing him. 

“Okay, ready, love?” Kazuyo asked. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed and Rockruff yipped excitedly. 

“Remember your move set,” Hana encouraged as she pulled out a book and reclined on the blanket against the tree. Even though she had brought the book along with her, she watched her wife and son intently over the top of her book. It was Eijirou’s first Pokémon battle and she was excited to see how he did. 

Kazuyo called out a Starly that had been brought to Hana’s clinic a little while ago after she had been found by another trainer, injured in the wild, a few months beforehand. The trainer hadn’t wanted her but just wanted to ensure she was safe. Since she had recovered, Hana had done her best to rehabilitate her, but she kept coming back to the center. 

However, Akihiro was not impressed by the rambunctious young Starly. He sat in the tree branches above Hana and observed the scene below him. Hana looked up and smirked at her Pokémon. Ever since Eijirou had been born, Akihiro had been fiercely protective of him. Now Kazuyo was unleashing the hellishly hyperactive Starly on Eijirou and his new Pokémon, and Akihiro sat at the ready in case he needed to intervene. 

Hana returned her attention back to her wife and the Starly. She smiled at the Pokémon she had helped. The little bird was energetic and raring to go against another Pokémon. She almost felt bad for the Pokémon. Her flying typing made it weak against Eijirou’s Rockruff and a perfect opponent. Hana’s hand subconsciously went to her bag where she felt for the Potions and Revive tablets she’d brought with her. 

“All right, let’s go, Starly!” Kazuyo called. 

“C’mon, Rockruff! Let’s do this!” 

“Starly, tackle Ei’s Rockruff!” Kazuyo said with the commanding presence of a Pro-Hero.

“Uhh, Rockruff, dodge!” Eijirou called out nervously, biting his lip almost hard enough to puncture with his sharp teeth. “Then use your Sand Attack!”

_“Arf!”_ Rockruff barked, rolling out of the way of Starly’s attack. The dog Pokémon turned to face Eijirou and began digging furiously with his front paws, kicking up dirt and sand behind him to obscure the Starly’s field of view.

“Starly, Wing Attack!”

Starly chirped and flew into the air, above the dust cloud that Rockruff had kicked up. She chirped again as she dove right for the Rock-type, clipping him with her glowing wing.

Rockruff cried out as he was hit, shaking the attack off and growling menacingly at the bird. 

Eijirou tried to remember what attacks his Pokémon knew, according to what Hana had taught him. “Rockruff, hit Starly with your best Leer!”

Rockruff’s sharp blue eyes narrowed in a leer that made Starly shudder, lowering her defense.

“Now follow up with a Tackle attack!” Eijirou called out, extending his arm and pointing a hardened forefinger at Starly.

Letting out a battle cry bark, Rockruff kicked at the ground with his paw before darting off toward Starly, hitting her broadside with a Tackle and knocking her to the ground, unconscious.

“Starly, return!” Kazuyo called, and a bright flash of light enveloped the unconscious Starly. “You did it, Ei!” Kazuyo exclaimed, running over to him and his Rockruff. The dog Pokémon yipped excitedly and began jumping up and down in response to Kazuyo’s excitement. 

“Mama, did you see that?” Eijirou turned around and lifted his arms skyward in victory. 

“I did! You’ll be an amazing trainer, Eijirou!” 

Hana smiled at the two of them. She watched as Eijirou turned back to Kazuyo and tugged her sleeve to get her attention before saying something to her. Kazuyo smiled with a nod and handed the Poké Ball over to him and Eijirou took it carefully. He hurried over to where Hana was sitting and called the Starly out onto his mother’s blanket. 

“Can you make Starly better now?” Eijirou asked, looking a little guilty that he and his Rockruff had done this to the Starly. 

“Of course.” Hana reached for her bag with all of her supplies. Once Starly was healed, she chirped her thanks and flew up to perch on Hana’s shoulder, nestling in the crook of her neck beneath her hair. Eijirou smiled brightly at the Starly’s chosen spot for recuperation. 

They decided to pull out the food that Kazuyo had packed for them and enjoyed lunch under the shadow of the tree. Afterward, Eijirou and the Rockruff decided to run around and play a bit more. 

When they ended up playing fetch with a spare branch, Eijirou threw the stick a little too far. A stray Pichu emerged from the bushes to sniff at the branch that fell from the sky. Eijirou’s Rockruff paused and cocked his head, observing the Pichu closer. Before either of them could truly react another kid was closely behind coming forward to scoop up the Pichu. Eijirou ran to meet his Rockruff to see what had stopped him in his tracks.

“Zappy! You wandered too far again!” the boy with bright yellow hair exclaimed. The Pichu let out a small amount of electricity after being startled by being picked up. “Zappy!” the boy exclaimed but overall wasn’t fazed by the small voltage. 

“Wow, you’ve got a Pichu?” Eijirou asked as he went to his Rockruff’s side. 

“Yeah, but she doesn’t like me very much even though we have the same Quirk,” the boy said with a frown. 

“Pokémon don’t have Quirks!” Eijirou laughed. “It’s just her type!”

“Doesn’t matter, we’re the same either way!” the boy smiled brightly. “I’m Denki, by the way!” the boy—Denki—said. “And this is my Pichu, Zappy!”

“I’m Eijirou!” Eijirou returned the introduction. “And this is my Rockruff!”

“Does she have a name?” Denki asked curiously as he reached his hand out to allow the Rockruff to get acquainted. 

“ _He_ doesn’t have a name yet,” Eijirou muttered. “I haven’t thought of a good one yet.” 

“I’m sure you’ll think of something good soon!” Denki grinned. “Do you wanna come play with me and Zappy?” Denki asked. 

“Yeah! Lemme ask my moms first though…” Eijirou insisted, turning and running back to where Hana and Kazuyo were still sitting on their blanket under the tree. 

“I’m gonna go play with my new friend, Denki!” Eijirou waved at them.

“Stay in sight, Eijirou,” Hana warned and Kazuyo nodded enthusiastically. Eijirou returned the grin before hurrying back to the other boy and his Pokémon. 

They spent several hours playing with each other and chasing their Pokémon around the park, until an afternoon storm rolled in and Eijirou bid goodbye to his new friend.

Large raindrops began to spatter against them as they made their desperate attempt to get out of the rain and back to the car. Once inside, Kazuyo handed Eijirou her jacket to help dry off and Akihiro came and perched in Eijirou’s lap, emanating heat to keep Eijirou warm. Eijirou groaned under the weight of the Pokémon, but he buried his face in the warm feathers of his mother’s Talonflame.

* * *

That evening once they had dinner, Eijirou was completely exhausted from their exciting day at the park. Kazuyo helped Eijirou into bed as Hana finished putting away a small load of laundry she’d done earlier. 

“Today was fun, huh?” Kazuyo smiled as she pulled the sheets up around Eijirou. His Rockruff excitedly nudged Kazuyo’s arm, as if he wanted Kazuyo to tuck him in as well. 

“I didn’t think it was possible, but your Rockruff has more energy than you do,” Hana chuckled as she closed the dresser that held most of Eijirou’s clothes and came over to sit on the bed as well. 

Eijirou smiled sleepily as the Rockruff butted his head against Eijirou’s hand, desperate to be pet and loved even as they were winding down for the night. 

“If he keeps this up, you might need to put him in his Poké Ball for the night.” Hana gave an exasperated sigh. 

“No!” both Kazuyo and Eijirou cried. 

“Okay!” Hana laughed. “But if Eijirou doesn’t get any sleep tonight because he was up all night petting his Rockruff…” 

“I promise, we’ll get good sleep!” Eijirou argued. 

“You know, you should probably name the little guy,” Kazuyo said as she scratched under the Rockruff’s chin. 

“Yeah! Every good Pokémon partner needs a good nickname,” Hana agreed. “Have you thought of anything for him yet?” 

Eijirou frowned, a serious expression coming over him. 

“I think that means, you’ve given it some thought?” Kazuyo asked. 

“Yeah, but I can’t think of anything good. A hero should have a Pokémon with a cool name!” Eijirou explained seriously. 

“C’mon, what are you thinking? Maybe we can help,” Hana offered. 

“They’re stupid.” Eijirou shook his head. 

“He’s going to need a name at some point, Ei.” Hana continued to poke at him. 

“All I could think of was…well…Rocky,” Eijirou said softly. The Rockruff yipped excitedly at the name and all three of them stared, startled by the sudden noise. 

“Rocky, hm?” Kazuyo looked between her son and the Rockruff. The Rockruff barked again. 

“I think that means he likes it,” Hana explained, nodding seriously. 

“Really?” Eijirou frowned. 

“She is the professional when it comes to Pokémon, Ei,” Kazuyo assured him. 

“Does that mean you’re the professional when it comes to names too?” Eijirou looked skeptical. 

“That’s right.” Hana nodded again. “I think Rocky suits him perfectly.” 

Eijirou gave his Pokémon a small smile. 

“Rocky!” Eijirou called again, more confident in his voice this time. 

Rocky barked again. 


	4. Todoroki Shouto: Origin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Ally (chibistarlyte):** Well, here's my boy's first chapter. I'll be honest with y'all, aside from the Kiri chapter, this chapter has undergone the most changes of the origin chapters. It took me a long time to get this chapter to a point where I was happy with it, especially because I share a lot of similarities with Shouto in terms of childhood abuse and shit, so like. This was hard for me to write. But we got there in the end, and I'm very happy with the final product of this chapter. I hope you all like it, too. :D **Also, please be mindful that this chapter contains canon-typical child abuse** , so if you find that subject to be triggering in any way, don't feel obligated to read! One last thing I'd like to mention is the art for this chapter. I drew and colored the art, and then Kat prettied it up in Photoshop to make it look nice (since I only do traditional art, there's only so much I can do with coloring and stuff lmao). Anyway. Thanks for making it this far and I hope y'all enjoy! If you'd like, come find me on tumblr [@chibistarlyte](https://chibistarlyte.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> **Kat (ladyoakenshields):** I'm so heckin proud of this chapter and so excited for Shouto's character arc in this series! Ally's done such an amazing job so far and I want to hug and cherish this child (which I may or may not do vicariously thru my OCs but shh.)
> 
> As always come find me on my bnha tumblr [here!](https://sunshineijirou.tumblr.com/)

Shouto wasn’t listening to a word his father was saying. He sat silently next to Enji in the back seat of the car, watching through his uninjured, unbandaged eye as the tall buildings of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area passed by in a blur. The entire two or so hours they’d been in the car already, Enji had barely halted his diatribe to take a breath, rambling on and on about Pokémon-this and training-that and heroing-such-and-such. 

Frankly, all the six-year-old wanted to do was hide in his room and possibly take a nap. He was so tired these days.

He idly scratched at the bandages covering his left eye, the material itchy and bothersome against the healing skin on his face. Shouto didn’t understand why they had to do this  _ now, _ of all times; he’d barely just gotten out of the hospital two days ago. But no, getting his first Pokémon was of utmost importance to his bastard of a father.

“Shouto, are you listening to me?” Enji said harshly, eyeing his son with cold blue eyes. He placed his gigantic hand on Shouto’s knee, squeezing hard enough to make the child wince. “This is one of the most important moments of your life,” he went on to say. “You could at least  _ pretend  _ you’re interested, you ungrateful brat.”

Shouto pursed his lips to keep himself from spitting in his father’s face. He feared that anything he would say would earn him an extra hour of Quirk training when they got home, so he thought it better to keep his mouth shut for now.

They still had a little less than an hour to go, according to their driver’s GPS that Shouto peeked at between the two front seats. He didn’t want to anger his father too much before then, especially when he had the entire drive home to worry about as well.

“I’m listening,” he finally muttered through gritted teeth, though his good eye was still watching the world outside the tinted car window. 

“Good. Now, when we get there—” Enji continued on as if he hadn’t been interrupted, and Shouto only half-listened this time.

He wasn’t looking forward to this at all.

* * *

When they finally arrived at their destination, Shouto didn’t wait for their driver to open his door. He pulled the handle and inched the door open himself, sliding out of the car and landing on the soft dirt of the driveway. He looked toward the building they’d pulled up to, seeing a woman with short, dark hair. She was faced away from the car, crouched down and seemingly talking to a Dugtrio who looked perturbed. 

As Shouto shut the car door behind him, the woman stood up and the Dugtrio shot the new guests a dirty look before burrowing away from the driveway. Shouto had half a mind to follow after it and see where it was going rather than be forced to meet a Pokémon his father had specifically picked for him. 

“Hello, Todoroki-san,” the woman said in a tight voice. Shouto frowned. It was different from the kind of voice most people used around his father. Their tones were usually of adoration, reverence, or sometimes fear. Her voice was flat and unimpressed.

“Kirishima-san,” Enji greeted curtly. “This is Shouto.” 

Kirishima’s gaze shifted to Shouto and her expression softened. Shouto felt himself relax a little. She seemed kind. At least if she worked with Pokémon on a regular basis she had to be a kind person, right?

He remained silent and Kirishima crouched down, sitting back on her haunches to be at Shouto’s level. 

“Hi, Shouto. You can call me Hana,” Hana said with a smile. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

Shouto nodded silently, not trusting his voice with the anger that swirled inside of him. When that didn’t raise a response from the boy, Hana tried again. 

“Are you ready to meet your new Pokémon?” she asked. “He’s excited to meet you!” 

“I…” Shouto started, then stopped, his words getting caught in his throat. He didn’t want this, he didn’t want this,  _ he didn’t want this! _

He wanted to be able to choose his own Pokémon…to go out and catch it like all the other kids…

Why did his father have to force him into  _ everything?! _

He took an unconscious step back, away from Hana, his hands curled into fists and clutched tightly at his chest.

Enji sighed heavily from behind him and gave Shouto a rough shove. “Shouto...have you forgotten your manners?” he chided his child gruffly. “Kirishima-san asked you a question.”

“Hey, now…” Hana started, her dark brows furrowed. “He doesn’t have to talk to me if he doesn’t want to, there’s no need to force him.”

Crossing his arms, Enji just scoffed as if Shouto was causing him the biggest inconvenience of his life. 

Shouto looked at Hana, who was watching him with patient eyes and the tiniest smile that he could just barely see. He felt tears welling up, the tear duct of his injured eye already prematurely leaking salty fluid that burned the still healing skin. Shouto hiccuped, trying to keep the sobs from coming out. 

He needed to get away...needed to hide. He couldn’t show weakness.

Shouto turned on his heel and ran, past the car that brought him here, past the fence that separated the breeding clinic from the outside forest.

“Shouto! Get back here!” Enji bellowed, but Shouto didn’t listen. He just ran, ducking into some bushes along the sidelines of the property and bending over to catch his breath, his tears falling freely. He allowed himself to collapse into the dirt, not caring that his pants and his shoes were getting dirty. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to keep any sounds from escaping. If they heard him, they’d find him.

_ “SHOUTO!!!” _ he heard his father yelling in the distance, and the sound of that terrifying voice made him flinch even though Enji was nowhere nearby.

There were some distant sounds of a conversation…the breeder was talking to his father and the shouting had stopped. Shouto took in his surroundings. He had no idea what he was doing. It wasn’t as if he could go very far since they were now so far away from home. And once his father found him…he’d be furious. Shouto knew that anger would come out in their training. 

He knew he had messed up, but he didn’t want to be here. Shouto tucked his knees to his chest and tried to get his breathing under control, closing his eyes and trying to listen to the sounds of the forest surrounding the clinic rather than his father’s aggravated voice. 

A soft touch nearly made him jump out of his skin. He looked up and saw a pink and white Pokémon with big floppy ears look at him curiously. An Audino, if he remembered correctly. One of her feelers unfurled and touched Shouto’s cheek. It was warm and soft, and it brought Shouto some peace as he looked up into her bright blue eyes. 

Shouto wasn’t sure how long he sat there with the Audino before a voice brought him back to the real world. 

“I see you met Shizuka. She’s awfully helpful in many different ways around here,” Hana greeted him softly. The Pokémon smiled at the breeder and withdrew her feeler, watching Shouto and Hana quietly.

“Where is my father?” Shouto asked in barely over a whisper, his anxiety creeping back in. 

“He’s not here,” Hana assured him. “He’s waiting inside.” 

Shouto gave a single nod in acknowledgment, letting out a somewhat shaky breath. At least he was safe for a moment. He then fixed his eyes on Hana, guilt flooding his veins. “I’m sorry…”

“For what, kiddo?” Hana asked, looking genuinely confused at his apology.

“For running away…and for my father being mean to you…” he said, curling in on himself tighter, looking down at the ground in shame for both his and Enji’s actions.

To his surprise, Hana let out a sigh of a laugh and shook her head. “It’s not your fault your father is the way he is. And you really don’t have to apologize to me. I…can tell you’re nervous.”

Shouto shied away, avoiding Hana’s kind gaze.

“You don’t have to take your Pokémon, you know,” Hana said, maneuvering herself to sit on the ground with her legs crossed. She still kept her distance from Shouto, but was close enough that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted. Shizuka also sat down to minimize herself to the child.

“Yes I do,” Shouto answered, still not looking at Hana. He idly scratched at the bandages on his face. “My father won’t allow me to go home without it.”

Hana sighed. “I’ve been raising Pokémon for a long time…and if you force a Pokémon onto a trainer that doesn’t want them, it’s not good. For the Pokémon or the trainer.” She paused for a few moments, only continuing once Shouto had raised his head to look at her. “If you really don’t want your Pokémon, no matter what your father says, I won’t force him on you.”

“Him?” Shouto asked.

“Oh. Yeah, your Pokémon’s a boy,” Hana said, smiling softly. “A very sweet boy, much like yourself.”

Shouto felt his face heat up. “You...you don’t even know me…” he said, though his words didn’t have any bite to them.

“I tend to be a good judge of character,” Hana said with a wink. “I can tell that you’re a good kid, and I know you’d treat your Pokémon well.”

Shouto thought for a moment, wondered if what Hana was saying was the truth or just platitudes to get him to cooperate. He studied her face with his one good eye, looking for any signs of dishonesty. But she was open and kind, and he could tell from her eyes that she meant every word she said. Taking in a deep breath, Shouto sat up a little straighter and asked, “C-Can I meet him? But...but not around my father.”

“You got it,” Hana agreed with his request. “Let’s head back. I’ll handle your father,” she promised. 

Shouto gave a small nod, his stomach still feeling a bit twisted. 

Hana pulled herself to her feet, Shizuka following suit before both of them turned and waited for Shouto to do the same. He sighed and followed the Pokémon Breeder and her Pokémon. As they made their way back to the center, Shouto could hear the calls of quite a few different Pokémon. If this weren’t such an awful afternoon, Shouto would be curious to know what other Pokémon lived nearby and how many of them the Breeder had helped. 

Once the building was in sight again, Shouto slowed down, reluctant to be back in the same vicinity as his father. Hana paused with him just outside the paddock where some of the center’s Pokémon played. The Pokémon eyed the two figures and the Audino on the outside of the fence curiously. 

“I’ll head inside to prepare the visiting room for you and your Pokémon, and ensure your father stays away,” Hana explained as she opened the gate. “You’re welcome to wait out here. The Pokémon that are out right now are all really sweet if you’d like to go and get to know them while you wait.” 

Shouto looked at her with a twinge of doubt soaking his thoughts. He wondered if she’d really be able to persuade his father to leave them alone during the meeting he had arranged. He wondered if the Pokémon in the field were really as docile as she said.  _ He wondered if any of this would turn out okay after all. _

“You comin’?” Hana called as she held the gate open. 

Shouto nodded subtly and followed her into the paddock before she headed down the path that connected the gate and the center’s back door. 

“I’ll be right back, Shouto,” Hana said before making her way down the path and disappearing into the center. 

Shouto sighed, unsure of what he should do. There were a few Mareep in the field that looked nice enough, but he was still a little wary. He enjoyed watching a small group of Bellsprout waving back and forth in the gentle breeze. His eyes caught sight of the same Dugtrio he had seen when they had first arrived. It still looked just as angry and Shouto decided to stay away from that Pokémon. Slowly, he walked the way Hana had gone, so he’d be nearby when she was ready. The Pokémon continued to watch him as he slowly walked through their field. A Bulbasaur that Shouto hadn’t even noticed before began to follow him, tilting its head curiously at the boy. 

“Ah, hi,” Shouto addressed the Pokémon softly, turning around to face it. 

“ _ Bulba! _ ” it greeted in return. Shouto crouched down in the grass and let the Bulbasaur come and check him out. It wasn’t long before a group of three Buneary hopped over to where they were, also wanting to investigate the newcomer. 

_ “ _ Bun! Bun Bun! _ ” _ they all greeted him. 

“H-Hi,” Shouto said as he watched them carefully. 

_ “ _ Bulba, Bulbasaur _ ,” _ the Bulbasaur replied to the Buneary as if educating them on everything it learned about Shouto. 

“Bun? _ ”  _ one of the Buneary asked, tilting its head. Shouto watched with amusement at how floppy its ears were. He was tempted to reach out and pet it but thought it better to keep his hands to himself. Buneary must have sensed this hesitation. Before Bulbasaur could reply to whatever the Buneary had asked, the rabbit Pokémon hopped forward and nudged Shouto’s partially extended hand. 

There was movement back towards the center and Shouto looked up to see Hana waving him over. 

“Shouto!” she called. “I’m ready for you.”

“Excuse me,” Shouto muttered before standing up and continuing towards the center. Bulbasaur trotted along beside him and the Buneary hopped along after them. 

“I see you made a few friends,” Hana said with a warm smile. “This pack is the one that usually befriends new Pokémon here at the center. They must have thought you were another addition.” 

“I appreciate the warm welcome.” Shouto turned and gave a small bow to the group of Pokémon. 

“Come on, kiddo.” Hana gestured inside, holding the door open. 

Shouto hesitantly stepped inside, listening for any hint of his father. 

“Your father agreed to wait outside by the car that brought you,” Hana assured him. Shouto frowned in confusion, wondering how Hana had been able to manage that, but he was grateful nonetheless. Hana continued onward, heading down a hallway and stopping outside a door. Once Shouto had caught up, she ushered him inside the room and closed the door behind them.

Curled up on the sofa was a Pokémon with orange fur and fluffy curled tails, six of them, tucked around him like a blanket of sorts. The Pokémon lifted his head to stare at the newcomers with curious amber eyes, his snout raised in the air and nostrils flaring and contracting as he sniffed.

He locked eyes with Shouto and Shouto’s breath caught in his chest for some reason.

“It’s a Vulpix,” Shouto said somewhat lamely, standing stock still.

Hana nodded and very, very tentatively placed a gentle hand on Shouto’s shoulder. “Vulpix tend to be a bit persnickety in choosing their trainers, even ones like this little guy with a Mild nature. But I think he’ll like you. Pokémon can sense who a person is, deep inside their heart.”

As Hana spoke, the Vulpix stood from where he’d been previously sleeping and jumped off the couch. He cautiously made his way over to the pair, eyes still watching Shouto with a mix of wariness and curiosity. Shouto swallowed as he crouched down and slowly, slowly extended his left hand. He held his palm facing upwards, the tips of his fingers curled in slightly so that he didn’t seem intimidating.

Vulpix came up to Shouto and sniffed his hand for a few seconds that felt more like days. Shouto held his breath until the Vulpix butted his head against Shouto’s outstretched hand and let out a small noise of contentment. Shouto allowed himself a small smile as he flipped his hand over to pet Vulpix, fluffing the orange-red curls of fur at the top of the Pokémon’s head. Vulpix nudged into Shouto’s hand, even offering a small lick to the side of Shouto’s thumb, making him let out a quiet laugh.

“See? He likes you,” Hana said with a smile.

Shouto didn’t have a chance to respond before Vulpix jumped up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on Shouto’s shoulders, knocking Shouto slightly off balance. 

“Vul!” the Pokémon said happily, leaning up to lick at Shouto’s right cheek.

Shouto let out another laugh then—an honest-to-goodness, deep in his belly laugh, a kind of laugh he hadn’t felt in so long. “It tickles…” he said, leaning back a little as Vulpix practically forced himself onto Shouto’s knees. Shouto allowed himself to fall back onto his bum and extended his legs out for the Vulpix to sit on.

“Here, why don’t you try giving him a couple treats?” Hana said, reaching into the pocket of her apron and pulling out some treats that resembled bits of Poké Kibble but a little softer to the touch. “Like I said before, he has a Mild nature, so he tends to favor dry flavors of food like this one.”

Shouto held out his hand and allowed Hana to drop a few treats into his palm. “What flavor does he not like?”

“Sour, for the most part,” Hana answered easily.

Humming in response, Shouto held the treats up to Vulpix. The Pokémon sniffed them for a moment before enthusiastically shoving his snout into Shouto’s hand, gobbling up the treats. His nose felt warm and wet against Shouto’s skin.

“I like him,” Shouto said in a quiet voice, reaching up to pet Vulpix once all the treats were gone. Vulpix cooed at him and nudged Shouto’s chest before padding at his legs with his paws and settling down, much like he’d been lying on the sofa earlier. He curled his tails around his little body and stared up at Shouto.

“I’m glad,” Hana said in genuine happiness, wanting to reach out and ruffle Shouto’s hair like she would her own son, but she refrained. “You two will make a fine pair. I know it.”

* * *

In the days that followed, Shouto found himself warming up to his new Vulpix a lot quicker than he imagined. The two were nigh inseparable when Shouto was home, with Vulpix sticking to his side at every waking moment. He’d stay with Shouto while he brushed his teeth, sit next to Shouto while he ate breakfast, and cuddle up to Shouto in the evenings while he worked on his homework. When night fell and it was time for bed, Vulpix had a space on the futon already carved out for him along Shouto’s warmer left side where the Pokémon would curl into the boy and lay his head on his chest as they both slept.

The only place Vulpix wasn’t allowed to follow Shouto was into the training room. Enji had firmly set down the ground rule that Shouto wasn’t to train with his Pokémon unless he used the fire side of his Quirk. Since Shouto had sworn off that power, Vulpix was forbidden to train with him. Which was just as well, Shouto supposed. He didn’t want his Pokémon to be subjected to the horrible things his father made him go through.

Thankfully, Shouto’s school allowed the students to bring their Pokémon as long as they stayed in their Poké Balls during class. So Vulpix accompanied Shouto to school every day, staying by his side and keeping a watchful eye on him—especially on the mornings like today when Shouto had training with his father, and moved a little slower on their way to school.

Vulpix watched Shouto with glassy amber eyes, head tilted in what Shouto had come to learn was worry. He smiled a bit down at his Pokémon and threaded his fingers through the curls atop Vulpix’s head. 

“I’m okay,” Shouto said, which wasn’t an outright lie. Despite the soreness in his ribs from when Enji had landed a few good punches on him, he was fine. Much better than most days, anyway.

“Good morning, Shouto-san!” 

Hearing his name, Shouto turned to the source of the noise. His already existing smile widened just a tad when he realized who it was. He raised his hand and gave a small wave. “Good morning, Momo.”

The raven-haired girl caught up with him, her poofy ponytail bouncing with every step. Behind her, towering just a few inches above her, was her Furfrou. Today her fur was combed and spiked up to mimic Momo’s ponytail, and her tail fur was styled into the shape of a heart.

Furfrou let out a few high-pitched barks in greeting, nodding her head to Shouto.

“Good morning, Frou-san,” Shouto said, reaching up to pet the big dog.

“Okay, Frou-san, time to go in your Poké Ball,” Momo said, scratching Furfrou behind the ear. Furfrou nodded in understanding as Momo called her back to the Love Ball she resided in.

Momo then smiled at Shouto, and he could tell it was a more personal than polite smile. With both of them growing up in what would be considered the upper class, Shouto had learned to tell the difference between a genuine smile and a smile just for show. “How’s your Vulpix?” she asked as she stowed the Love Ball in her bag.

Shouto shrugged, adjusting his backpack as the two started walking again so they wouldn’t be late to class. “He’s fine.” 

“Have you come up with a nickname for him yet?” Momo asked, nodding in thanks as Shouto held the door open for her.

Shouto shook his head. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to give his Pokémon a nickname.

Attachments, Enji had said on multiple occasions, were a weakness. Nicknaming a Pokémon would definitely cause him to grow more attached to Vulpix than he already was.

It was hard to strike a balance—be close enough to one’s Pokémon to work together as a hero duo, but not so close that the Pokémon could become a liability. Enji drilled this into him before he even got Vulpix.

Shouto sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m...not sure I’ll give him one,” he admitted, knowing he could trust Momo with his insecurity about the issue.

“Why not?” she asked. The desks in their classroom were paired in twos, effectively giving each student a classroom partner. Momo was Shouto’s desk mate, which was how they became friends in the first place. 

He led the way to their shared desks and set his backpack on top, fishing out his school supplies he’d need for the day before he had to store his bag in his assigned cubby. “I...don’t wanna name him something stupid.” It wasn’t the full truth by any means, but it certainly was a small factor Shouto had considered in this dilemma.

Momo giggled as she set her Skitty-print pencil case on her desk. “You shouldn’t let something like that stop you,” she advised, full of such wisdom for such a young child.

Shouto hummed in response, his way of saying he’d think it over. He held out his hand to take Momo’s bag for her and he went to the back of the classroom to put away their backpacks for the day.

Once class started, Shouto allowed himself to focus on his lessons and all thoughts of nicknaming his Pokémon fled from his mind for the time being.

* * *

Come recess time Shouto was sitting outside on a bench with a book, his Vulpix curled up next to him asleep. The Fire-type was pressed against Shouto’s left side, sharing his warmth. It felt better than his own raging heat on that particular side of his body. He idly stroked Vulpix’s head, comforted by the softness of his fur.

Shouto was glad to have some quiet company around. After his mom had been taken away, after being separated from his siblings, after Touya disappeared…it was nice to have at least another living thing to bond with that wasn’t his disastrously dreadful father.

Because…when it came down to it, Shouto was incredibly lonely.

But his Vulpix made things better. He also had Momo, who was the first friend he’d ever made. 

Even so, these two bonds didn’t completely defeat the ache of missing his family. His mother, his sister, his brothers…

Shouto’s eyes widened.

He had a name for Vulpix.

Staring down at his sleeping Pokémon, he scratched a bit behind Vulpix’s ears. The vulpine creature let out a small trill of acknowledgment before slowly blinking his eyes open and blearily looking up at Shouto. Shouto smiled down at his Pokémon.

“Hi, Touya, did you have a good nap?” he asked.

Vulpix, now named Touya, let out a large yawn before standing up and stretching, only then to crawl into Shouto’s lap right on top of his book and curl up again for more sleep.

Shouto’s smile widened. Yeah. It was a good name, he thought. Meaningful. Sentimental.

He had to be careful not to let his father find out.

* * *

* * *

Shouto woke up a few minutes before his alarm, much to his chagrin. He reached out from under his blankets and flipped the switch on his clock, turning off the alarm before it even had a chance to go off. Touya stirred from where he was curled against Shouto’s chest atop the covers and Shouto smiled tiredly at his Pokémon.

“Vul?” Touya muttered out sleepily, stretching out his front legs. His paws widened as he stretched and his claws came out just a bit.

Shouto laid a comforting hand atop Touya’s head, scratching beneath the curled fur. “I have to go train with Father...you can sleep more, if you want,” he told his Pokémon before crawling off the futon, careful not to disturb Touya. His caution proved pointless, though, because as soon as Shouto was up, so was Touya. Just like every morning.

Shouto grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to change into for his morning training with his father and headed to the bathroom to get himself ready.

Touya followed Shouto into the bathroom, weaving in and out of his legs as the child grabbed his footstool and set it up in front of the sink so he could wash his face. While Shouto was drying the warm water off his face, Touya licked his trainer’s toes and elicited a few giggles from the boy.

“Touya, quit it!” Shouto said, though his tone was full of mirth as he tried to move his feet away from the offending appendage. Touya just stared innocently up at Shouto, wagging all six of his tails in tandem.

Once Shouto was changed and ready for training, he was followed by Touya once more to his bedroom where he deposited his pajamas.

“Okay, you stay here and I’ll be back to get ready for school in a little while,” Shouto told his Pokémon, aiming his index finger at the floor as a gesture to mean “stay.” Touya obediently sat on Shouto’s futon, boring into his soul with his almost glowing amber eyes.

“Good boy,” Shouto said as he slid the door to his room shut and headed downstairs.

His father was already waiting for him in the training room, arms crossed and anger burning hot in his bright blue eyes.

“You’re two minutes late, Shouto,” Enji barked at him, the flames of his moustache flaring slightly as he spoke.

Shouto bowed low. “I’m sorry, Father,” he apologized mostly out of habit—he was always apologizing for something, it felt like—but he couldn’t help the slight fear coiling in his tummy.

“Next time it happens, I’m adding an hour to your afternoon training, understood?” 

Gritting his teeth, Shouto nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Enji then crouched down into a fighting position and brought his fists up. “Today, we’re going to work on your close combat skills. No Quirk usage unless it’s your fire, got it?”

Shouto’s breath caught in his throat.  _ Bastard _ .

“Shouto!”

Letting loose a short cry of frustration, Shouto charged at Enji and readied a punch. Enji blocked the blow effortlessly and took Shouto by the wrist, retaliating with a punch of his own right to his son’s gut. Shouto doubled over, coughing.

“Too slow!” Enji yelled, following up with a kick.

On instinct, Shouto raised up a wall of ice that shattered with the force of Enji’s kick.

“Shouto! What did I say about your Quirk?!” the flame hero bellowed, using his own hellfire Quirk to make quick work of Shouto’s ice. It melted into a giant puddle on the wooden floor.

“Shut up!” Shouto yelled back, unable to control his ire at his father as he readied another punch intended to clip Enji in the jaw. He narrowly missed, barely burning his knuckles on his father’s flaming facial hair. Another counterattack from Enji sent him flying across the room and he let out a pained shout as he hit the floor on his back.

“How can you expect to best All Might if you can’t even get a hit on me?” Enji chastised, crossing his muscled arms over his chest and sneering at Shouto.

Shouto winced as he forced himself to his knees, holding in any noise of pain that he could by clenching his jaw. “Shut up…” he muttered through gritted teeth, glaring daggers at Enji with mismatched eyes.

A small scraping noise caught both of their attention, however. Shouto’s eyes flew from Enji to the door of the training room, where the noise was coming from. As the scraping became louder, Shouto heard a low whine on the other side of the door. His eyes widened and his stomach dropped to his toes.

“What on earth—” Enji began, but his irritated words were cut off as Shouto bolted to his feet and ran to the door, sliding it open.

Standing on the other side of the door was Touya, staring worriedly up at his trainer and softly howling.

“Get back to my room, you know the rules!” Shouto hissed at his Pokémon, feeling annoyed and frantic at the same time. He tried to shoo Touya away by waving his hand, but Touya stayed put and pawed at Shouto’s leg.

“Shouto! Get your Vulpix out of here this instant!” Enji yelled, stomping over to the pair. Even with just socks on, his footfalls were heavy enough to shake the walls.

The child stared imploringly at his Pokémon, motioning once again with his hands for Touya to leave. The Vulpix remained resolute and stood his ground, looking past Shouto at the approaching monster behind them. He fell into somewhat of a defensive stance, growling lowly at Enji.

“Oh? Brave little thing you are,” Enji jeered, staring down at the surly Pokémon from behind Shouto. “I thought you were bred with a Mild nature, but it turns out you have more defiance in you than I thought.”

Shouto looked from Touya to his father to Touya again, feeling the prickling of tears in the corner of his eyes. “Touya, please, go back to my room…” he pleaded in a whisper, his fingers gripping the door in a white-knuckled hold.

“Touya?”

Touya barked at Enji.

Shouto’s heart stopped.

_ Oh no. _

“Shouto!”

Before Shouto could think any more about the grave mistake he just made, he felt his father’s fiery grip on his arm yank him away from the door. Vibrant blue eyes bore into him, making him want to crumple and hide.

“What is the meaning of this?” Enji said, his voice dangerously low and calm as he towered over his son, his hellflames coming to life on his shoulders behind him.

“I—” Whatever Shouto was about to say was cut off as Enji grabbed him by the shirt collar, lifting him clear off the floor and bringing him close enough that he could feel his father’s angry hot breath on his face.

“ _ Touya? _ You  _ dare _ use that name in this house?!” Enji yelled, his flames snaking down his arm and towards his fist, catching the fibers of Shouto’s shirt.

“Vul!”

Shouto was dropped from his father’s grasp as Touya launched himself at Enji, biting him on the leg. The flame hero let out a yell that was more angry than pained and tried to kick the Pokémon off of him.

“Get off, you insolent creature!” Enji readied a fire attack to throw the Vulpix off of him.

Eyes widening and a scream tearing out of his throat, Shouto sprung up to try and block his father’s attack. “Don’t hurt him!” he cried out, taking the brunt of the fiery punch to protect his Pokémon from harm.

Touya unclamped his jaw from Enji’s leg as his trainer dropped to the floor yet again. He ran to Shouto, barking and yipping with worry.

Snarling, Enji glared at his son and his Pokémon. “We’re done for now,” he said with finality. “But you will face the consequences for this later, Shouto. Mark my words. Now, get out.”

Shouto balanced himself up on trembling arms, trying to swallow down the nausea creeping up his throat. Without sparing a glance at his bastard of a father, he scooped Touya up into his arms and stood. He fought down the brief dizziness and inky blackness in his vision from standing too quickly, and stumbled from the training room.

It wasn’t until Shouto and Touya were back safely in their bedroom that Shouto allowed himself to cry, throwing himself down on his futon and burying his face in his pillow. His sobs echoed in the quiet room.

He hated Enji. He  _ hated  _ him.

“Vul?”

Shouto felt a paw on the back of his head, then the sensation of a wet nose sticking to various strands of hair. Sniffing, he lifted his head from his pillow and made eye contact with Touya, who was looking at him with worry before nuzzling against him once again.

“Touya…I’m sorry…” Shouto choked out, hiccuping as more tears threatened to fall. “I…I tried to protect you, but I…” His voice cracked and he let out another sob, squeezing his eyes shut and forcing out the oncoming tears.

“Vuuuul…” Touya said, licking at the scar on Shouto’s face. He couldn’t feel the sensation of the sandpaper tongue on the scar tissue, but the gesture alone was enough to break his heart in two.

Shouto stayed in bed until it was time to get ready for school, going through the motions in exhausted silence with Touya ever vigilant by his side.


End file.
